Hand Mirror with the Judgment of Paris
Artist/Maker
Etruscan
(found near Tarquinia or Corneto)
Dateca. 300–150 BCE
place excavatedTarquinia or Corneto, Italy, Europe
MediumCast bronze with incised decoration
DimensionsOverall: 9 3/4 × 4 15/16 × 3 3/8 in. (24.8 × 12.5 × 8.6 cm)
Credit LineR. T. Miller Jr. Fund
Object number1942.122
Status
On viewLike its modern counterpart, this ancient hand mirror helped people adorn themselves. Made of bronze, one side was once highly polished and reflective, and the reverse has incised designs which illustrate the Greek myth The Judgement of Paris. The artist labeled each character with its Etruscan name. The Trojan prince Paris (at left, labeled Elaxsntre) is tasked with picking which of the three goddesses Turan (Aphrodite), Uni (Hera), and [M]enrfa (Athena) is most beautiful.
Themes of beauty, love, and marriage appear on many mirrors. Etruscans were very interested in Greek gods and mythology, but frequently, as we see here, adapted popular stories to Etruscan tastes.
Provenance(Pasinati Collection, Italy, 1897).¹ Georgios Baltatzis [1868-1922], Minister of Foreign Affairs, Greece.² Louis E. Lord [1875-1957], Oberlin, OH, by 1937;³ purchased 1942 by Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH
Notes:
¹The object was noted as in Pasinati's possession in 1897 in a five-volume publication on Etruscan mirrors by Gerhard.
² After the Asia Minor disaster and military coup of Greece of 1922, Baltatzis was put on trial and executed in 1922; his effects were sold.
³Referenced in 1937 article, "The Judgment of Paris on Etruscan Mirrors" in the American Journal of Archaeology.Exhibition History
Themes of beauty, love, and marriage appear on many mirrors. Etruscans were very interested in Greek gods and mythology, but frequently, as we see here, adapted popular stories to Etruscan tastes.
The Etruscans: Artists of Early Italy
- The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD (March 16, 1958 - May 4, 1958 )
Treasures from the Allen Memorial Art Museum
- Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN (July 21, 1966 - September 11, 1966 )
Master Bronzes from the Classical World
- Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University (December 4, 1967 - January 23, 1968 )
- City Art Museum of St. Louis, MO (March 1, 1968 - April 13, 1968 )
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (May 8, 1968 - June 30, 1968 )
Collections
- On View
- Ancient
The AMAM continually researches its collection and updates its records with new findings.
We welcome additional information and suggestions for improvement. Please email us at AMAMcurator@oberlin.edu.
We welcome additional information and suggestions for improvement. Please email us at AMAMcurator@oberlin.edu.
380–350 BCE
8th–4th century BCE
750–396 BCE
ca. 500 BCE