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| Mirror with Siren (about 450-400 BC) Locri Epizephirii, necropolis Bronze, cast, incised Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria, inv. 4496 [Cat. no. 43] |
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Bronze Mirrors
In antiquity, bronze discs were highly polished, and their reflective surfaces provided for effective mirrors. Cat. nos. 43 and 44 would have had their tangs inserted into ivory or bone handles, now missing.The Greek artists of Magna Graecia took delight in ornamentation, and bronze offered a supple medium for such expression. The mirror with a siren [cat. no. 43], dramatically emerging from lotus buds, volutes, and palmettes, depicts the mythological being with dynamic energy in great detail: windswept, flame-like, tossed-back hair flows across outstretched wings with finely incised feathers.
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The male figure [cat. no 42] which doubles as the mirror's handle, is draped in a Greek cloak (himation) that completely covers his body. The eyes of the statuette were originally inlaid, probably in silver, contributing to its lifelike appearance. Despite its size, the youth conveys a monumental presence and is impressively modeled, revealing contours of the body beneath a subtly conveyed draped garment. It epitomizes the best of Locrian bronze sculpture. |
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The openwork relief plaque of the mirror from Medma [cat. no. 44] typifies later mirror ornamentation. A hairy satyr, wearing an animal pelt that seems to flap in the wind, perches upon a rock. The creature leans forward to hold the youth's arm in his right hand, caressing the youth's head with his left. The erotic scene is set in a pastoral landscape, indicated by incised flowers and stones. |
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Page 10 of 11 | On the next page: Inscribed Tablet (about 350-250 BC)