Mirror with Handle

Mirror with Handle

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A polished disk with a handle was a popular type of mirror in the Byzantine world. A secular object, this mirror was probably donated to the church for its monetary value. It may also have been valued for its amuletic qualities, as mirrors were believed to deflect evil.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mirror with HandleMirror with HandleMirror with HandleMirror with HandleMirror with Handle

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.