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Latest revision as of 14:47, 21 December 2024
English historical artefact| The Desborough Mirror | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The mirror's decorated reverse side | |
| Material | Bronze |
| Size |
|
| Created | c. 50 BC – 50 AD |
| Discovered | Late 19th century Desborough, Northamptonshire, England 52°26′23″N 0°49′02″W / 52.4398°N 0.8172°W / 52.4398; -0.8172 |
| Discovered by | Workmen while excavating for ironstone |
| Present location | British Museum, London |
| Identification | 1924,0109 |
The Desborough Mirror is an intricately decorated English bronze mirror dated to c. 50 BC – 50 AD. It was discovered by workmen in the late 19th century outside Desborough, Northamptonshire, England, alongside a small and near contemporary bronze brooch. The mirror consists of a cast handle and a circular mirror plate which is highly polished on its front side to achieve reflectivity, and decorated with intricate La Tène patterns on its reverse.
The Desborough Mirror was acquired by the British Museum in 1924, where it is displayed in room 50. It is widely considered, along with the mirror found in Birdlip, Gloucester, to be the finest of the roughly thirty surviving and fully intact Celtic bronze mirrors, the majority of which are English.
Description
The mirror's cast handle has a looped chain design, but is relatively simply designed compared to other extant Celtic examples. The mirror itself is circular and lined with a continuous tubular binding strip. The reflection on its front side was realised through extensive polishing, an achievement that was relatively uncommon in late Iron Age Britain. The reverse side is decorated with intricate Celtic designs in the "Insular La Tène" style, including engraved spiral and "trumpet" patterns.
The small but numerous designs on the reverse are symmetrically positioned, with those on one half reflecting opposite patterns on the other. The reverse plate's broad outline is that of a lyre with flanking coils, and was probably initially laid out using compasses.
The mirror is in good condition, with wear only to the polish of the front plate and to areas of the tubular loop.
Dating and use
The Desborough Mirror was discovered in the late 19th century by workers employed by the Desborough Co-operative Society to excavate ironstone from a site near Desborough, Northamptonshire, England. It was found in the same field as a contemporary 2 in (51 mm) bronze Celtic brooch, although the artefacts may not be from the same deposit (i.e. burial).
References
Citations
- ^ "The Desborough Mirror". British Museum. Retrieved 20 December 2024
- Smith (1909), p. 330
- ^ Garrow (2008), chapter 5
- ^ Joy (2010), p. 153
- Joy (2010), p. 143
- Smith (1909), pp. 229, 330
Sources
- Garrow, Duncan (ed). Rethinking Celtic Art. Oxbow Books, 2008. ISBN 978-1-8421-7318-3
- Joy, Jody. Iron Age Mirrors: A biographical Approach. Oxford: British Archeological Reports, 2000. ISBN 978-1-4073-0703-9
- Smith, Reginald. "On a Late-Celtic Mirror found at Desborough, Northants, and other Mirrors of the Period". Archaeologia, volume 61, issue 2, 1909.