2-735-116 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Mirror Box with Head of Athena (lid), 400-375 BC. These case or box mirrors, constructed just like modern, hinged ladies compacts, were very fashionable from the later 5th century into the 4th century. The decoration of the cover was always in repoussé. Frequently there was another disk within this cover with an incised decoration of a mythological figure. The actual mirror is the highly polished top of the bottom half of the box. A loop at the hinge allowed the mirror to be suspended as a wall decoration when not in active use.