Caryatid Mirror
Unknown Artist
c. 1540–1296 BCE
Medium
bronze with black copper inlay?
Dimensions
38.9 × 20 cm · figure: 16.7 × 4 cm
Classification
Cosmetic Objects
Department
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
1983.196
About this artwork
This superb mirror has an oval disk and a handle in the form of a nubile young girl, entirely naked except for her elaborately braided tripartite wig, broad collar, and a girdle of wallet beads. She stands on a cruciform base, with her left foot slightly advanced and her hands at her sides. On her head and supporting the disk is a papyrus umbel with flaring tips. Mirrors with handles in the form of naked young girls were the height of fashion in mid-Dynasty 18; numerous examples exist. This mirr...