![]() ![]() However the carvings were so dainty and shallow as to not disturb the mirror-like surface, so that people could still use it as a mirror. The trick was that the carvings on one side would indent ever-so-slightly into the mirror side that when struck by sunlight, they would appear on the wall behind. ![]() On the opposite side, it was polished to become the mirror aspect, and perhaps even treated with mercury.ĬHECK OUT: Seven Lost Artistic Masterpieces That Were Found in 2021 To create the effect, metalworkers carved images or words on one side of a bronze plate. While the nature of their function is broadly understood, how ancient metalworkers achieved the effect of light-penetration is not known. Sung believes the one in Cincinnati was made in an early period in China. Other than the Han dynasty magic mirrors in the Shanghai Museum, only two other similar Buddhist magic mirrors are known: one in the Tokyo National Museum and the other in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.īoth are Japanese mirrors made in the Edo period (1603–1867). Credit: Rob Deslongchamps/Cincinnati Art MuseumĪncient magic mirrors are extremely difficult to make and are very rare. The front of the museum’s mirror is a polished reflective surface, and the back is marked with six characters, 南無阿彌陀佛, the name of Amitābha Buddha. Indeed, before being exhibited once in 2017, the mirror had sat in the East Asian collection without being touched for decades, according to CNN. “This is a national treasure for China, and we are so lucky to have rediscovered this rare object and have on view in Cincinnati,” said Sung. When light is projected on them, the mirrors appear transparent and reveal characters or a decorative design. Known as “magic” or “transparent” or “light penetrating” (透光鏡) mirrors, these types of artworks were first created in China during the Han dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE). READ ALSO: Modern Art Cache Stolen by Nazis Found in Munich This technology has been found everywhere from Ancient Egypt to the Indus Valley. Hou-mei Sung, made a once-in-a-lifetime discovery.īefore glass manufacturing, people groomed themselves in mirrors of polished bronze. It was in spring 2021, while conducting research on an ancient artwork in the museum’s collection that the Curator of East Asian Art, Dr. ![]()
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