By Jill Lowe
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all”?
The Evil Queen : Snow white and the seven dwarfs.
Archaeological records tell us we’ve been fascinated by our reflections for a very long time. From early attempts, to today’s mode of self reflection in the ubiquitous selfie, the aims can be varied. Fascination and self adulation might be the focus for some and others indulge in reflection to gain insight.
Early mercury mirror
How did we get to today’s mirrors?
After the many years of rudimentary mirrors of painted metals, polished stones, pools of water, something happened – glassmakers on the Venetian island of Murano around 1255 figured out how to combine glass with a new technological breakthrough in metallurgy, which allowed them to coat the back of a piece of glass with a medley of tin and mercury, producing a highly reflective surface. The result was the mirror, which forever changed how we see ourselves.
For the first time, mirrors became part of the fabric of everyday life. This was a revelation on the most intimate of levels: before mirrors came along, the average person went through life without ever seeing a truly accurate representation of his or her face, just fragmentary, distorted glances in pools of water or those polished metals.
Reproductions of early mercury mirrors
Mercury mirrors are still popular
How did France end the 150 – year monopoly of Venetian mirrors, to
become the highly sought-after luxury goods coveted by European Kings
and Queens?
In 1664, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, treasurer to Louis XIV, secretly obtained the Venetian mirror technique and brought it to France, developed techniques to make glass mirrors in larger sizes and became the leader of the trade.
The French court was the trendsetter of Europe. The Palace of Versailles, was completed in 1684 and Louis XIV had exhausted the resources of the entire nation to build.
Among Versailles’ many halls, the most talked about is the Hall of Mirrors. Its walls, are divided into seventeen sections, with 357 mirrors, originally designed to reflect the view of the garden outside the window therefore making the solid palatial walls “disappear.”
The magnificent Hall of Mirrors at Versailles
But throughout history, even before the Venetian mirror technology, mirrors in all forms were largely used to assess how gorgeous was an individual. The origin of the word mirror is Latin “mirare” – “to look at.” So it is not surprising that we see people doing just that.
Now if we believe that people grow by being self-reflective and by making adjustments to their behavioral patterns, that self-reflection can be impactful. For those who believe they are perfect, that self-reflection might not result in improvement. After all, they believe they are perfect, so there’s no need to change.
Consider Narcissus: from greek mythology
It was said that Narcissus would live to old age, if he never looked at himself. He loved no one till he saw his own reflection in water and fell in love with that; finally he pined away, died. So forever on Narcissus is associated with self love. 3 artists depict Narcissus.
John William Waterhouse, 1903
Mat Colishaw Narcissus 1990 Tate Museum
François Lemoyne : Narcissus
Would we call this self love?
In the Mirror 1890 Auguste Toulmouche
And what do we make of the “FONZ”?
The Selfie
Many feel that todays selfie is an extension of the self love of Narcissus, allowing for no self reflection.
Says Alicia Eler, author of The Selfie Generation:-
“In one sense, our smartphones, with all these selfies, are now our pocket mirrors, inspiring the same self-conscious anxieties that mirrors once provoked……yet taking a selfie is also different from peering into a mirror: The mirror is mostly private, but every time we pose for a selfie, “we’re aware of its potential for publicness. Just as compact mirrors did in the early 20th century, selfies on social media have propelled an explosion in technologies of self-presentation, from custom lights for taking self-portraits on your phone to photo-filtering software that airbrushes your appearance.”
Wonderment
There is a particular area where the mirror is used with wonderment and this is with animals and babies.
Look at 10 month old Colette as she discovers her hands in the mirror. She has careful separation of the fingers as
she explores the reflection. This is WONDERMENT!
Photo kind permission of Colette’s mother
More wonderment for Colette!
Photo: kind permission of Colette’s mother
Use of Mirrors in Art
Mirrors have been used by artists in many ways but frequently to do self portraits. Most notably, Rembrandt used mirrors, for self portraits throughout his life.
Here below is Artemisia Gentileschi using a mirror for a self portrait.
And below using a mirror as an element in art
Still from Jesse Jone’s film Mirror, Martyr, Mirror, Moon Tom Bird
More examples of the use of the mirror in art.
Before the Mirror : Berthe Morisot
Any article on mirrors MUST include include Magritte “Not to be reproduced”
AND of course Magritte’s The False Mirror
effects by other artists using mirrors
Yayoi Kusama’s mirror infinity rooms have enormous appeal all over the world. For example by constructing a small room with four mirrored walls, she creates the illusion of endless space, with the objects inside appearing to multiply into infinity.
Yayoi Kusama, THE SPIRITS OF THE PUMPKINS DESCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS, 2017
Maraya installations in Saudi Arabia include these amazing impactful mirrors in parts of the landscape, tricking our eyes with delight.
In 2013 visitors to Hyde Park in Sydney found themselves immersed within a labyrinth maze of mirrored pillars, reflecting the surrounding urban landscape like a kaleidoscope.
Auckland based studio “Out of the Dark” created Fields.
Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Mirror Field.
The above installation was designed within the framework of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial development, which aims to rebuild the memories of the tragic events that happened in the area on September 29-30, 1941, the largest massacre of the Nazi regime. Note: Although the memorial in Kyev was attacked in 2022, it is thought that this Mirror Field still stands.
Now isn’t this a curious photo?
The gentleman with the red tie looks to be reflected in the mirror.
But the gentleman in the mirror is wearing a striped tie.
A conundrum I thought in looking at the photo!
AND the angle is not quite right.
I finally realized that it is NOT a mirror behind, it is men who are twins adjacent to one another at a party!
Revisiting the Venetian mirror technology of 1255
We talked of this date bringing a break-through in mirror technology in Venice with the technique of the application of mercury behind glass.
Changing mirror technology dramatically, it is a date to remember.
Here in Chicago on Oak street , the high end luxury jewelery shop Buccellati has book cases backed by the Venetian vintage /antique/ scarce mercury backed glass.
What an elegant presentation for these beautiful, refined jewelery pieces and objects d’art.
Distorted Mirrors- distorted reflections-quest for self discovery- Scrying
We all know there are mirrors in certain stores which ever so slightly distort the reflection to be flattering to more people but apparently is explained to be merely variations in mirrors, as any one attempting to buy “thin” mirrors will attest.. The “fun mirrors at amusement parks are attractive to many as some welcome the distortions.
In the novel Through the Looking Glass Alice enters a world where everything is reflected in mirrors. leading to a journey to discover true identity, grappling with authority, and exploring one’s sense of self.
Scrying is the act of prolonged gazing into a reflective or translucent surface usually one imbued with mystical energy to see images or symbols that you then interpret meaning from to gain insights. The mirror is perhaps the most popular form of scrying, and in particular the obsidian mirror (polished volcanic glass) is often associated with scrying, having a convex surface and remarkably good optical quality.
The obsidian mirror
We use the mirror for self reflection, selfies, enlarging and enhancing our living spaces, decorating, safety in cars, art, architecture, lighted mirrors, telescopes. They have enhanced our lives enormously.
And here in Chicago we have the most amazing mirror of our city (and yourself if you stand under it.) The wonderful stainless steel scultpture “CLOUDGATE” was situated in Millenium Park in 2006, sculpted by Sir Anish Kapoor. Weighing 110 tons, it is affectionately known as “the Bean.”
Notes and Links:
Photo of Jill by Joe Mazza, Bravelux inc.
Photos copyright © 2025 Jill Lowe. All rights reserved
Images from Shutterstock license
References
The Nourishment project Soma Roy.
