Apr 18, 2008
Apr 18, 2008

Mirror with Engraved Scene: Two Female Figures

Mirror with Engraved Scene: Two Female Figures

330–300 BC

Bronze

Overall: 36 cm (14 3/16 in.)

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1916.2012

Location

Did you know?

The piriform shape of this mirror suggests that it was produced in Praeneste (modern Palestrina).

Description

Cast in one piece, this bronze mirror features a handle terminating in a stylized deer head. The front side of the disc, once highly polished and reflective, would have served as a mirror, while the reverse—now on display—features an engraved figural scene. Best observed with the aid of a line drawing, this shows two standing women, both draped and looking at one another. Without inscriptions, their identities remain uncertain, but the crescent overhead and the upright spear held by the righthand figure suggest that they may be the goddesses Artumes (Artemis) and Menerfa (Athena).

See also
Collection: 
GR - Etruscan
Department: 
Greek and Roman Art
Type of artwork: 
Metalwork
Medium: 
Bronze

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