The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 21, 2025
Box Mirror with Head of Athena (lid)
330–270 BCE
Diameter: 11.3 cm (4 7/16 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1972.66.a
Location: 102B Greek
Did You Know?
The head of Athena on this mirror likely came from a different ancient object.Description
The ancient Greek box mirror resembles a modern, hinged makeup compact in design. While the actual mirror is the top of the bottom half of the box – a highly polished cast-bronze disk – the cover often bears relief decoration. This example features a helmeted head of Athena, a virgin war goddess not typically associated with implements of beauty. Several other aspects suggest that this Athena may have been repurposed from another object in antiquity: the striking difference in patina between relief and case; the irregular (non-circular) shape; and the method of attachment, with rivets through the relief rather than solder.- The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 25 archive.orgThe Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 9 archive.org
- {{cite web|title=Box Mirror with Head of Athena (lid)|url=false|author=|year=330–270 BCE|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1972.66.a