Back In The 15th Centaury, Or Thereabouts,

before the invention of glass mirrors,

all photographs by Rob Deslongchamps, courtesy of Cincinnati Art Museum, bronze mirrors like the one above were used, this one dates back to the Han dynasty (202 BCE to 220 CE),

the flat surface was polished to give you a reflection of yourself, but this particular mirror has a secret, whilst looking at the archives in the Cincinnati Art Museum, curator Hou-mei Sung uncovered what appeared to be an ordinary patinaed mirror printed with the name of Amitābha Buddha. After closer inspection, though, she realized that the small bronze piece would reveal a hidden image of the spiritual figure enshrined in rays when illuminated,

this example of a “Magic Mirror,” is extremely rare, it is a piece of a small collection of light-penetrating objects that date back to the Han dynasty, only a few similar Buddhist pieces from China and Japan are thought to exist and are currently housed at the Shanghai Museum, Tokyo National Museum, and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sung’s discovery is presumed to be the oldest uncovered, and although it’s still unclear exactly how ancient artisans created the pieces, it was likely a religious decoration hung in a temple or the home of a wealthy family, if you’re in Cincinnati, you can see the mirror and its secret image starting July 23, I just can not fathom how somebody made the discovery of how to produce an image only to be seen when illuminated, amazing!