Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Obsidian Mirror
Not on view
Obsidian, a volcanic glass, was used to make cutting tools as well as delicate ornaments. It was valued for its reflective qualities and employed in the form of mirrors for divining. Such mirrors were associated with powerful rulers and divinities: the name of a major Aztec god, Tezcatlipoca, means "smoking mirror." The gilded wood frame of this example likely dates to the colonial period and is carved with alternating flower and step-fret symbols.
La obsidiana es un vidrio volcánico valorado tanto por su pulido como por sus características reflectantes. Era utilizada como espejo para la adivinación y estaba principalmente asociada a la deidad azteca Tezcatlipoca ("Espejo humeante"). El marco de madera bañado en oro remonta probablemente al período colonial y está tallado con símbolos de flores y de gradas.
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