Greece, Corinth, presumably of Corinthian or Argive origin / c. 475 BCE
Mirror Support: Siren
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Mirror Support: Siren as sculpture (Greece, Corinth, presumably of Corinthian or Argive origin · c. 475 BCE).
This elaborate siren served a practical function, connecting a separately made handle and mirror, now lost.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as bronze with silver inlays.
The museum's collection notes: This is a bronze of exceptional quality. When complete, it had a cylindrical handle, probably of painted ivory. The reflecting disk was probably of silver, as are the inlays. The intact mirror was obviously an object of great luxury. Sirens (part bird and part woman) were sea-songstresses whose captivating voices drew sailors off course to their deaths. Sirens also accompanied the dead on their voyage to the underworld. The idea was probably imported from Egypt where human-headed ba birds embodied a deceased person's spirit.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtMirror Support: SirenOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.