Mirror
Unknown Artist
ca. 1550–1295 B.C.
Medium
Bronze or copper alloy
Dimensions
H. 23 cm (9 1/16 in.); Diam. 12.6 cm (4 15/16 in.); wt. 353 gr (12.5 oz.)
Classification
Mirror, woman, papyrus
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Helen Miller Gould, 1910
Accession Number
10.130.1311
Art Historical Context
This elegant bronze or copper alloy mirror hails from Egypt's New Kingdom, specifically Dynasty 18 (ca. 1550–1295 B.C.), a golden age of imperial power and artistic refinement under pharaohs like Thutmose III and Amenhotep III. Standing 23 cm tall with a 12.6 cm diameter disc and weighing a substantial 353 grams, it exemplifies the finely crafted personal grooming tools reserved for the elite. These hand-held mirrors featured a polished metal surface for reflection, attached to a sturdy handle—likely symbolic in form, though details of its decoration remain unrecorded. Crafted through lost-wa...