Bronze mirror with a support in the form of a draped woman
Unknown Artist
mid-5th century BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
15 15/16 in., 2 lb. (40.4 cm, 0.9 kg)
Classification
Bronzes
Culture & Period
Greek, Argive · Classical
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Walter C. Baker, 1971
Accession Number
1972.118.78
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite bronze mirror, crafted in mid-5th century BCEive Greece during the Classical period, exemplifies fusion of everyday utility and artistic mastery in ancient Hellenic culture. Standing at nearly 16 inches tall and weighing just 2 pounds, it features a highly polished reflective surface supported by the graceful figure of a draped woman, evoking an idealized female form or mythological attendant. Delicate motifs of birds, women, and dogs adorn the design, suggesting scenes of daily life, myth, or symbolic harmony between humans and nature—common themes in Greek art that celebrated ...