Obsidian Mirror
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Obsidian, a volcanic glass, was used to make cutting tools as well as delicate ornaments. It was valued for its reflective qualities and employed in the form of mirrors for divining. Such mirrors were associated with powerful rulers and divinities: the name of a major Aztec god, Tezcatlipoca, means "smoking mirror." The gilded wood frame of this example likely dates to the colonial period and is carved with alternating flower and step-fret symbols.
La obsidiana es un vidrio volcánico valorado tanto por su pulido como por sus características reflectantes. Era utilizada como espejo para la adivinación y estaba principalmente asociada a la deidad azteca Tezcatlipoca ("Espejo humeante"). El marco de madera bañado en oro remonta probablemente al período colonial y está tallado con símbolos de flores y de gradas.
La obsidiana es un vidrio volcánico valorado tanto por su pulido como por sus características reflectantes. Era utilizada como espejo para la adivinación y estaba principalmente asociada a la deidad azteca Tezcatlipoca ("Espejo humeante"). El marco de madera bañado en oro remonta probablemente al período colonial y está tallado con símbolos de flores y de gradas.
Artwork Details
- Title: Obsidian Mirror
- Date: 1200–1521 CE (Mirror); 16th century (Frame)
- Geography: Mexico
- Culture: Aztec and Spanish
- Medium: Obsidian, wood, gold leaf
- Dimensions: 13 3/4 in. (35 cm)
- Classification: Mirrors
- Credit Line: New York, American Museum of Natural History (30.0/6253)
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing