Bronze Etruscan Mirror with Engraved Decoration of Figures

Probably late 3rd century BCE - early 2nd century BCE

5 3/8 x 4 7/16 x 3/16 in. (13.7 x 11.3 x 0.5 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• copper alloy - Alloy in which copper is the principle element.
• engraving - Creating marks on the surface of a hard material, such as metal or glass, by incising with a sharp tool, when the designs or images created are for their own sake and not to be printed from. For printing processes that involve this technique plus intaglio printing from the surface, use "engraving (printing process)."
• Etruscan - Culture and style of artistic production in Etruria, now modern Tuscany and part of Umbria, between the 7th and 3rd centuries BCE. Known partly from elaborate tumuli, artworks include bronze mirrors and cists, wall paintings, and terracotta and bronze sculptures that are distinct from the Greek Archaic style in their lively sense of movement and delicate decoration. Developments in architecture include the construction of mud brick and wooden temples decorated with terracotta roof tiles and statues. In some classification schemes Etruscan culture includes the Villanovan culture, which was first evident on the Italian peninsula in the ninth century BCE.
• mirrors - Objects with a highly polished surface, designed to reflect images clearly. The surface is typically smooth, flat, or sometimes slightly curved, made of polished metal in ancient and medieval times, but later usually of glass with a reflective coating on one side.
• women - Refers to female human beings from young adulthood through old age.
• youth - Period of life prior to mature adulthood.