Gallery Title
Gallery Title
mirror case
Accession Number NWHCM : 2013.209
Description
Copper-alloy medieval mirror case of standard circular form, the two sides still intact and articulated through a copper-alloy hinge. The upper and lower sides retain the same pattern of a pecked line running from the hinge to the catch, with four curved pecked lines at each corner. The interior preserves the glass, which is intact on one side and nearly intact on the other.
Read Moremirror case
This half of a mirror case is an example of a common mirror case found in the middle ages. These cases are composed of two circular disks attached together with a hinge on one side and a clasp at the other. The mirror would be attached inside using a putty like adhesive. On the inside of this mirror case you can find traces of the adhesive that held the mirror in place.
During the middle ages, mirror cases were not readily available to all. Only people with high status in society owned a mirror case. During this time the majority of mirror cases were owned by women, though some were given to men as love gifts. They were usually worn from a belt or in one's purse and were proudly displayed as a sign of status and as an accessory. Though this was different in the middle ages as mirror cases were seen as works of art rather than a tool to view one's reflection.
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