Copper mirror

Dendera, Egypt, VI Dynasty, Old Kingdom (2345–2184 BC)

Donated by the Committee of the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1898; 1898.37.11Mirrors such as this were found in the tombs of eminent Egyptians. The disc and tang were usually cast in one piece but in this instance, the tang has been made separately and affixed with rivets. The tang would have been inserted into a handle made of wood, bone or ivory. Later, during the XVIII Dynasty at the time of Tutankhamen, 'caryatid' mirrors came into fashion, with a handle also fashioned from bronze and shaped like a female human figure.