The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Mirror Support: Siren

Mirror Support: Siren

c. 475 BCE
Location: 102C Greek

Did You Know?

This elaborate siren served a practical function, connecting a separately made handle and mirror, now lost.

Description

This is a bronze of exceptional quality. When complete, it had a cylindrical handle, probably of painted ivory. The reflecting disk was probably of silver, as are the inlays. The intact mirror was obviously an object of great luxury. Sirens (part bird and part woman) were sea-songstresses whose captivating voices drew sailors off course to their deaths. Sirens also accompanied the dead on their voyage to the underworld. The idea was probably imported from Egypt where human-headed ba birds embodied a deceased person's spirit.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 22 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 24 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 9 archive.org
  • Mirrors: Art and Symbol. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 3-November 18, 1984).
    Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).
  • {{cite web|title=Mirror Support: Siren|url=false|author=|year=c. 475 BCE|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1967.204