Mirror with a Bathing Maiden
(Ancient Greece )
The most popular type of mirror in the Hellenistic period was of "clamshell" form, much like the modern compact. The polished mirror disk was protected by a hinged lid, decorated with figures in relief on the exterior and, not uncommonly, with a scene engraved on its underside. Appearing on the inside lid of this mirror is a tranquil scene with a nude maiden, perhaps Aphrodite or a nymph, bathing in a rocky grotto.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
1988-1989 | From Alexander to Cleopatra: Greek Art of the Hellenistic Age. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Greece (Place of Origin)
Measurements
top: 15/16 x 5 in. (2.5 x 12.7 cm) (d. x diam.)
bottom: 1/2 x 4 13/16 in. (1.2 x 12.3 cm) (d. x diam.)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.1169