mirror
- Museum number
- 1873,1011.1
- Title
- Object: The St. Keverne Mirror
- Description
-
Decorated copper alloy mirror, with engraved La Tène style decoration on back and cast handle. The front of the mirror is much pitted with corrosion. the back is decorated in a relatively simple style arranged within two circular areas. There is a border of hatched triangles. The handle has a loop which is contained within a Y-shape beyond a double moulding. The two arms of the Y are attached to the edge of the mirror plate by a rivet on each side. The mirror has a metallic bronze finish and has the appearance of being cleaned in a manner which has removed all traces of patination.
- Production date
- 120 BC - 80 BC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 165 millimetres
-
Length: 78.90 millimetres (handle)
-
Length: 218 millimetres
-
Weight: 178 grammes
-
Thickness: 7.30 millimetres (handle)
-
Thickness: 1.20 millimetres (plate)
- Curator's comments
- Decorated mirrors of this type are uniquely British, very few are found on the continent (see Joy 2010 for more examples). The majority are from graves dating between 100BC and AD 100. This bronze mirror was found in an Iron Age cemetery uncovered during road construction in 1833. The grave was lined with stone and included a brooch, two bangles, and a plain ring all made of bronze.
- Location
- On display (G50/dc22)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2016 11 Mar- 25 Sep, Edinburgh, National Museum of Scotland, Celts.
2015-2016 24 Sep-31 Jan, London, BM, G30, 'Celts: Art and Identity'
- Acquisition date
- 1873
- Acquisition notes
- Found in a burial in 1833 during road construction.
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1873,1011.1