Mirror: Did you mean...?

Persian mirror case with bird-and-flower motif, painting by Ali Ashraf, 1751. Brooklyn Museum.

This bronze mirror is decorated with figures of Xi Wang Mu, the Queen Mother of the West, and her consort, Dong Wang Gong, as well as animals of the four directions and other creatures. Inscribed around the edge is a poem proclaiming prosperity...

Lacquer mirror case with bird-and-flower motif, painting by Fathallah Shirazi, 1878. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

A circular obsidian mirror from ancient Mesoamerica. Aztec, 1325-1521. Width: 10 inches /26 cm. (British Museum, London)

Obsidian is a dark volcanic glass which provides the sharpest cutting edge available in nature. Ancient Mesoamerican cultures greatly esteemed the properties of obsidian, and it was widely traded across the region. Obsidian was used to create...

An 1889 pastel on paper, In Front of the Mirror, by Edgar Degas (1834-1917), the French impressionist painter. This work covers several themes that interested the artist towards the end of his career: women at their toilette, women putting...

An Etruscan bronze mirror with an engraved scene depicting the gods Laran (Mars), Turan (Venus) Menrva (Minerva) and Aplu (Apollo) - all indicated by the inscription around the edge. 300-270 BCE. (National Etruscan Museum, Rome)

An Etruscan bronze mirror back showing the abduction of Miacuch by Hercules. 500-475 BCE. (British Museum, London)

Silver mirror with an elaborate relief on the backside depicting an episode of the myth of Phrixus and Helle from the ancient Greek legend of the Golden Fleece, end of 2nd century CE. (Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome)

An Etruscan bronze mirror with an engraved scene depicting a nymph and Silenus. 500 BCE. (National Etruscan Museum, Rome)