CLASSICAL GREEK BRONZE MIRROR WITH RAM HANDLE

Ca. 400 BC. Classical period. A graceful cast bronze mirror comprising a slightly concave thin disc with a short lip that would have once held a highly polished reflective surface, a handle with a ram's head terminal, and a grip with vertical incised decoration. Beautiful patina, excellent condition. Bronze mirrors are usually associated with women in ancient Greece: Greek women are often depicted in red-figure pottery looking at themselves in round mirrors. Greek artisans produced three basic types of bronze mirrors that manifest numerous regional variations: the oldest and most common are hand mirrors such as this item, followed by caryatid or stand mirrors (popular between 550-450 BC) and then by small covered mirrors - a form of ancient compact - which were manufactured from the late fifth century onwards. Decorative motifs varied extensively and include floral or figural designs, handles in the form of columns and humans, and narrative relief appliqués. As regards their use, in Greece from the sixth century BC onwards, mirrors of all types were frequent votive gifts. They were dedicated to a wide range of deities, especially those concerned with marriage, fertility, and childbirth. Goddesses include Artemis, Athena, Eileithyia, Demeter, Hera, and Persephone; gods include Asclepius, Apollo, and Zeus. Although most of these dedications lack inscriptions, a few contain the names of female worshippers, some of whom were courtesans who on the occasion of either their marriage or their retirement gave their once prized possessions to Aphrodite. For a similar Classical Greek mirror, see https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4722516.Size: L:270mm / W:145mm ; 131g. Provenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early the 2000s in France; previously in a European collection in the 1970s.