Description
An important female deity commands the watery scene on the back of this mirror. The face, bordered by ear ornaments and partially hidden by a nose ornament, appears beneath a huge headdress with the fringed eyes and curled proboscis of an abstract butterfly. The deity rests on a shell-studded water band and two adoring humans offer flowers or incense in a bag. Mirrors served as costume ornaments and perhaps were used in rituals to divine the unknown.
Provenance
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1989-)
Accession Number
1989.65
Medium
slate, pigment; other side originally inlaid with polished pyrite mirror
Dimensions
Overall: 20.1 x 0.2 cm (7 15/16 x 1/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Credit Line
James Albert and Mary Gardiner Ford Memorial Fund