After decades of storage in an American museum, a rare centuries-old bronze “magic mirror” has revealed a secret message.
The small bronze artifact, dating from the 15th or 16th century, has been stored for nearly 50 years among thousands of treasures in the East Asian art collection of the Cincinnati Museum of Art.
When illuminated with a bright light, the handheld mirror in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s collection projects a gauzy image of a Buddha surrounded by rays of light—a figure who is otherwise undetectable https://t.co/NirD2Ff2Qu @cincyartmuseum
— The Art Newspaper (@TheArtNewspaper) July 20, 2022
While the ‘message’ seemed unremarkable to the naked eye, the bronze piece was hiding an incredible secret, in plain sight.
The museum said that “magic mirrors” are an ancient art that dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD).
The polished bronze piece has a carved pattern on one side, and a shiny surface that can be used as a mirror.
When the bright light is reflected on the mirror, the hidden image is projected onto the wall.
The rare artifact was discovered by the curator of the Museum of East Asian Art, Dr. Ho Mi Song, while searching for ancient artwork in the museum’s extensive collection.
Dr. Song was exploring the museum’s storage rooms in the spring of 2021, accompanied by a conservation expert, when she closely examined the artifact.
At first glance, the front of the bronze mirror, with a diameter of 22 centimeters, appears as an unremarkable polished surface, while on the back of it are engraved six Chinese characters, which represent the name “Amitabha”, a Buddha of Chinese origin.
“It’s really fate or luck,” Song told Artnet News. “We were going to display the bronze artwork in the museum exhibit. Out of curiosity, I wanted to test it.”
So Song decided to bring a restoration expert into the museum’s storage and test the light on the Cincinnati Magic Mirror.
After several attempts, the secret of the mirror appeared on the wall in front of them – revealing the image of Buddha and the rays of light emanating from his body as he sat.
Worldwide, only three other institutions have a “magic mirror” of Buddhist character.
The expert has not yet been able to determine if the mirror originated in China or Japan, but she believes it may be from China.
Many collectors or art institutions may own such unusual artifacts, Song said, “that people don’t even know are magical.”