Mirror with a support in the form of a draped woman, ca. 460–450 b.c.; Classical
Greek, Argive
Bronze
Technical Glossary
Greek, Argive
Bronze
H. 15 15/16 in. (40.41 cm)
Bequest of Walter C. Baker, 1971 (1972.118.78)
The integration of three-dimensional figures into the design of a functional object is a hallmark of Greek art. A variety of elements—human, animal, and mythological—animate this bronze mirror disk. Supporting the mirror is a statuette of a woman standing on a base, her simple woolen peplos falling in columnar folds. Her serious expression and quiet stance are typical of the restrained early Classical statues created from about 480 to 450 B.C. Two winged Erotes hover about her head. A hound chases a hare up either side of the disk; a siren, part bird and part woman, perches on the top.
