Mirror, mirror on the wall — what is the rarest artwork of them all?
Acclaimed curators at the Cincinnati Art Museum discovered a rare Chinese magic mirror collecting dust in the museum’s storage room.
Under special lighting conditions, the plain-looking bronze mirror from the 16th century reflects an image of a Buddha surrounded by numerous emanating rays of light. The front of the museum’s magic mirror is a polished reflective surface, and the back is marked with six characters, the name of Amitābha Buddha.
Known as “magic mirrors,” “transparent mirrors,” or “light penetrating mirrors,” this type of artwork was first created in China during the Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE). When projecting light, the magic mirrors appear transparent and reveal characters or a decorative design.
The discovery
The discovery was made in the spring of 2021 by Hou-mei Sung, the Cincinnati Art Museum’s curator of East Asian art, and was shown to the public at the museum’s East Asian wing beginning on July 23. The museum officially acquired the unknown magic mirror in 1961 and spent most of its time in storage.
Dr. Sung instructed a conservation specialist to shine a light on the magic mirror in the museum’s storage room. The conservator shone her phone flashlight at the gleaming surface.
A majestic image of the Buddha appeared amid a “starburst” pattern on the black wall across from the magic mirror. “We were ecstatic,” Dr. Sung stated. “This is a national treasure for China, and we are very fortunate to have unearthed and shown this unique artifact in Cincinnati,” she said in a statement.
Creation hypostasis
Ancient magic mirrors are extremely difficult to make and are very rare. Other than the Han Dynasty magic mirrors in the Shanghai Museum, only two similar Buddhist magic mirrors are known: one in the Tokyo National Museum and the other in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
While their function is broadly understood, how ancient metalworkers achieved the effect of light penetration is unknown. Metalworkers carved images or words on one side of a bronze plate to create the effect. Then, on the opposite side, it was polished to become the mirror aspect and was perhaps even treated with mercury.
The trick was that the carvings on one side would indent ever-so-slightly into the mirror side so that they would appear on the wall behind when struck by sunlight. However, the carvings were so dainty and shallow as not to disturb the mirror-like surface so that people could still use it as a mirror.
“Regardless of how much you can explain theoretically, it all rests on the master who polishes the surface, which is tough,” Dr. Sung said. “That’s why they’re so uncommon.” However, she believes there are more magic mirrors, just waiting for someone to shine a light on them.
The investigation continues
“It’s meant to be a blessing, so we feel fortunate to have it,” she explained.
“Research is a huge part of what curators do,” she explained. “Over 10,000 items in our collection keep us pretty busy.” This recent development serves to stoke her appetite for more miracles. For the time being, she intends to benefit from foreign knowledge to further the museum’s research.
“I know that Asian art specialists will come to Cincinnati to view it, and I’m thrilled that they’ll be able to learn more about our collection while they’re here,” she said. She is also optimistic that the new attraction will “inspire visitors to learn more about our many unique works of Asian art in our collection.”
Tourist attraction
Visitors can view the magic mirror’s secrets at the museum’s East Asian Gallery (Gallery 140). The museum acquired its first East Asian art pieces in 1881, making it one of the country’s oldest museum holdings of East Asian art.
