{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O325180"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O325180/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2022ND5144/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2022ND5144/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2022ND5144","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5145","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5146","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5147","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5148","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5149","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5150","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5151","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5152","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5153","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5193","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5194","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5195","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5196","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5197","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5198","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5317","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5318","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022ND5319","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022NH2716","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022NH2717","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O325180/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O325180","accessionNumber":"408-1883","objectType":"Mirror","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Mirrors have long been part of society, and the earliest known examples were made of polished obsidian, dating to the 6th millennium BC. In the 4th millennium BC Mesopotamians discovered the reflective quality of copper, and began to produce mirrors made of highly polished copper and bronze. The metal would be polished repeatedly to create a smooth, reflective surface which could be used to check appearances. These mirrors spread throughout Europe, and nearby Egypt, where they were used until the invention of glass mirrors in the 3rd century. Elaborately decorated bronze mirrors were also used throughout Japan, Korea and China up to the 18th-19th century. \r\nBronze, or copper alloy, mirrors were typically circular, and could be mounted in a variety of ways. Hand-held mirrors, utilising a single handle at the base, were incredibly popular and versions of exist from ancient Egypt, Britain, Italy, Greece and beyond. Images of women and goddesses admiring themselves in hand mirrors can often be seen in Ancient Greek design, indicating that they were widely used and recognisable. Mirrors could also be freestanding, such as standing table mirrors, or be incorporated into a small decorated boxes, similar to a 20th century make-up compact. \r\nMirrors were prized possessions throughout the ancient world. They were particularly popular in areas such as Egypt, where make-up and personal adornment was integral to the culture. In Iron Age Britain mirrors were also seen as status symbols, and were thought to contain magical properties, linked to their ability to reveal things, and possibly see through to other worlds. Bronze mirrors were also beautiful. In addition to their opulent sheen, different cultures developed different ways to adorn their mirrors, turning them into unique art pieces. Ancient Egyptians typically focused on handle decoration, creating detailed carvings of ivory, wood and even gold. These handles often related to Egyptian religion, and caryatid handles in the form of the goddess Hathor were a common choice. Throughout Europe mirror plate decoration was more common. This could range from incised concentric circles around the rim of Cypriot mirrors to engraved mythical scenes in Etruscan examples. \r\n\r\nThis collection of  Cypritot mirrors was found throughout Salamis and Episcopi. Due to it’s position in the Mediterranean, Ancient Cyprus had strong trade links with surrounding countries, and was ruled at varying times by the  Egyptian, Hellenistic and Persian Empires. As a result Cypriote design from was varied and could contain a vaiety of international influences. These 22 circular mirrors are largely  undecorated. Some have tangs and rivet holes at their base which indicates that they were hand-held mirrors which have lost their handles. Other examples are complete circles with thick rims, which indicated that they are one half of a box mirror. Many of these box mirrors are decorated on the outside with rows of concentric circles, and some retain a glimpse of their former sheen on the interior, which has been protected over time.","physicalDescription":"","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"copper alloy","id":"AAT10942"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"408-1883, 408:I-1883, 408:N-1883 and 408:U-1883 were analysed by XRF to assess their composition. Results indicate a composition consistent with bronze for 408:I-1883, 408:N-1883 and 408:U-1883 and 408-1883 appears to be made of copper alone.","categories":[],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2022ND5144","2022ND5145","2022ND5146","2022ND5147","2022ND5148","2022ND5149","2022ND5150","2022ND5151","2022ND5152","2022ND5153","2022ND5193","2022ND5194","2022ND5195","2022ND5196","2022ND5197","2022ND5198","2022ND5317","2022ND5318","2022ND5319","2022NH2716","2022NH2717"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"018","id":"THES407138"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"018","id":"THES407138"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"019","id":"THES407139"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"018","id":"THES407138"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"019","id":"THES407139"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"009","id":"THES405601"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"019","id":"THES407139"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"018","id":"THES407138"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"019","id":"THES407139"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"018","id":"THES407138"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"009","id":"THES405601"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"019","id":"THES407139"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"009","id":"THES405601"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"009","id":"THES405601"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"009","id":"THES405601"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"018","id":"THES407138"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"018","id":"THES407138"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"009","id":"THES405601"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"009","id":"THES405601"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"018","id":"THES407138"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"018","id":"THES407138"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"019","id":"THES407139"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror (broken)","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}],[{"text":"Mirror","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Cyprus","id":"x28802"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":"Entire collection attributed to either Episkopi or Salamis, Cyprus."},{"place":{"text":"Episkopi","id":"x29116"},"association":{"text":"Found","id":"x42575"},"note":""},{"place":{"text":"Salamis","id":"x29115"},"association":{"text":"Found","id":"x42575"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"c. 900 bc - c. 300 BC","earliest":"-0905-01-01","latest":"-0296-01-01"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Mirrors. Twenty-two bronze, circular, some of them broken. Found at Episcopi/Salamis.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"22 circular bronze mirrors. Ancient Cyprus, Pre-Ptolemaic. Excavated at Episcopi and Salamis.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Lee, Mireille M. <u>The Gendered Economics of Greek Bronze Mirrors: Reflections on Reciprocity and Feminine Agency</u>.<i> Arethusa,</i> Vol. 50, No. 2. 2017. Pp. 143-168."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<i>Source: Notes in the History of Art</i>, vol. 4, no. 3. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985. Pp. 2-67."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Bonfante, Larissa, and Vassos Karageorghis, eds. <i>Italy and Cyprus in Antiquity, 1500–450 B.C.</i> Nicosia: Costakis and Leto Severis Foundation, 2001."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["408-1883","408A-1883","408B-1883","408C-1883","408D-1883","408E-1883","408F-1883","408G-1883","408H-1883","408I-1883","408J-1883","408K-1883","408K/PART-1883","408L-1883","408M-1883","408N-1883","408O-1883","408O/PART-1883","408P-1883","408Q-1883","408R-1883","408U-1883"],"accessionNumberNum":"408","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1883,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Mirror [1]","Mirror [2]","Mirror [3]","Mirror [4]","Mirror [5]","Mirror [6]","Mirror [7]","Mirror [8]","Mirror [9]","Mirror [10]","Mirror [11]","Mirror [12]","Mirror [13]","Mirror [14]","Mirror (broken)","Mirror [15]","Mirror [16]","Mirror [17]","Mirror [18]","Mirror [19]","Mirror [20]","Mirror [21]"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-18","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-24","availableToBook":false}}