Hand Mirror
Ancient Egyptian · New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (about 1550–1295 BCE) · Art Institute of Chicago
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From the museum
The round disk of this hand mirror was originally polished to a reflective sheen. The elegant shape of the handle references papyrus plants that grew in Egypt’s marshy regions. Together, the handle and disk evoke an image of the sun rising from a papyrus umbel (flower cluster), a symbol of the sun’s daily regeneration. The ancient Egyptian words for mirror and life are homonyms, so this object’s shape also playfully refers to the ankh hieroglyph used to write both words.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Details
- Maker
- Egyptian
- Date
- New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (about 1550–1295 BCE)
- Medium
- Copper alloy
- Dimensions
- 20 × 10.3 × 2.2 cm (7 7/8 × 4 1/16 × 7/8 in.)
- Place of origin
- Egypt
- Held by
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · On view · Gallery 50
- Credit line
- Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
Image: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0
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