Comparanda
Example 1.
Ancient Roman Votive Lead Mirror
Roman
2-4th Century AD
92 x 52mm
Unknown/For sale
This object resembles our votive mirror, is made of the same material, lead, is dated to around a similar time frame to our suggested date, and is also missing the glass mirror. It has a backing sheath covers the central receptacle while our mirror exposes the X shape that presumably served as a mounting device for the missing glass. This mirror hides that internal armature/mount. It also contains similar designs to our own mirror. The online description notes “As is the case with all these votive mirrors the glass is rarely ever found with the mirror,” which is the case with our mirror as well.
Example 2.
An incomplete cast lead mirror case of Roman date
Roman
3rd-4th century A.D. (43-409 A.D.)
Length: 51.2 mm
Thickness: 2.07 mm
Weight: 16.81 g
Diameter: 45.34 mm
This object was found at westhorpe rally on Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Dr Andrew Brown and was returned to the finder
This lead mirror case contains most of the front disc but is missing any original back plate, glass, and any handle or means of attachment due to old breaks. Like our mirror it is made of lead, is of a similarly small size, dates to around the same Roman time period, and is also missing the glass that would have made up the mirror part of this votive object. While it does not have a handle like our mirror and contains different decor, it remains an important source for comparanda because it contains more information on the object than these mirrors often have.
Example 3.
Spindle Whorl
Possible medieval date
1100-1500 A.D.
Thickness: 3.78 mm
44.42 g
42.29 mm
Found in Eastern Suffolk County in Mid Suffolk, Tostock on Wednesday 1st September 2010 by Dr Andrew Brown and was returned to the finder
This spindle whorl dated to the Medieval era is a flat, discoidal in form with a central circular aperture and impressed rocker decoration on both faces. One side is decorated with a border formed from a single band of rocker/corded. While it may not be a mirror, it is important to include examples that are do not exactly align with our agenda. If it turns out that our votive mirror was not a mirror at all then this example of comparanda would give researchers a place to begin searching for what else our object could be. It is small, circular, and lead, like ours with little decor on one side and a hole in the center, but it is older than our suggested date and other examples of comparanda. Nevertheless, it is an important source to keep in our repertoire.
Example 4.
Mirror with lead frame
Late Imperial Roman
3rd century A.D.
Length: 3 3/8 (8.6 cm)
Diameter: 1 9/16 (4 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from Cyprus, The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76, 74.51.5246a, b
This mirror is lead, like ours, is small, and is from our suggested time frame. It is much more decorated than our mirror and it does not contain a hole in center, but the overall shape is similar to ours. It may be a higher class example of our mirror because of its ornate nature, although it is made of lead like our mirror.
Example 5.
Bronze circular mirror
Greek and/or Roman
Date unspecified
Diameter: 8.5 centimetres
Purchased from: Peregrine Edward Towneley, Previous owner/ex-collection: Charles Townley, The British Museum 1814,0704.1063
This mirror has a perforated edge and decorated with concentric circles. Broken in four pieces, including a tiny one in a plastic tube. It is relatively small like our mirror and is bronze, not lead. It does not have a specific date so it does not take away or contribute to the suggested date of our mirror. This is most likely an upper-class version of our mirror, due to its bronze nature not being available for common consumption.
Example 6.
Small lead mirror
Roman
2nd-3rd century A.D.
37.8 x 73.59 x 1.97
Weight: 20.72 g
Mirror hole diameter: 15 mm
Hungarian National Museum (Budapest), inv. no.: MNM RR 2010.3.574
Németh, György, and Ádám Szabó. "To a beautiful soul. Inscriptions on lead mirrors (Collection of Roman Antiquities, Hungarian National Museum." Acta classica Universitatis
Scientiarum Debreceniensis 46 (2010): 106.
The inscription on this mirror reads “SERVASEROTIVOC” or “Servas Eroti voc(as)” which translates to “You call the maid servants of Eros.” This epigraphic inscription runs along the shaft, SERVA, and continues on the right side of the round frame of the mirror (SEROTI VOC), then AS is supposed to read again from the end of servas. The Latin inscription fits with the idea of sexuality and fertility and female culture because the definition of “maid servant of Eros” is characteristic of position. While our mirror does not have any known inscription, this gives an example of one might be if it were to have an inscription. It gets to the notion of these votive lead mirrors as part of female cults.
Example 7.
Small lead mirror
Roman
2nd-3rd century A.D.
45.83 x 1.45 mm
Weight: 15.43 g
Mirror hole diameter: 18 mm
Hungarian National Museum (Budapest), inv. no.: MNM RR 2010.3.476
Németh, György, and Ádám Szabó. "To a beautiful soul. Inscriptions on lead mirrors (Collection of Roman Antiquities, Hungarian National Museum." Acta classica Universitatis
Scientiarum Debreceniensis 46 (2010): 104.
This mirror contains the inscription “EY TY X Ɛ” meaning “Successfully (?), the lunar epsilon, cursive omega next to a T a V shaped upsilon upside down. The EY is on the right side of hte mirror frame with retrograde writing, TY on the left, X on the upper edge, and Ɛ on the bottom. Eutycho is a female name which may be considered a female death demon with the name meaning “good luck” whose goal was to accompany the spirit of a dead woman to the underworld. This inscription again shows the connections between womanhood and femininity with mirrors, and also helps to give an idea of what inscriptions on these lead votive mirrors would have looked like. Like our mirror, this mirror is lead, small, circular, with a hole in the center, but does not have the stem like ours.
Example 8.
Small lead mirror
Roman
2nd-3rd century A.D.
38.76 x 1.40
Weight: 15.43 g
Mirror hole diameter: 15 mm
A piece of glass remained in the hole of the mirror frame
Hungarian National Museum (Budapest), inv. no.: MNM RR 2010.3.617
Németh, György, and Ádám Szabó. "To a beautiful soul. Inscriptions on lead mirrors (Collection of Roman Antiquities, Hungarian National Museum." Acta classica Universitatis
Scientiarum Debreceniensis 46 (2010): 107.
This mirror contains the inscription “LAVINIA” or “Lavinia” where the interpretation is uncertain, but the word Lavinia appears on a sarcophagus from 170-180 A.D. during her wedding ceremony with Aeneas and the scene was depicted on another fragmentary sarcophus. The wedding scene of Lavinia often appears in cemeteries so the name engraved on a lead mirror found as grave furniture is not accidental. The wedding itself can be connected to the “servas Eroti vocas” love motif found on other lead mirrors. This mirror contains the only piece of glass which proves the functions of these objects as mirrors and with its inspiration, it is connected to this idea of female grave furniture and the female cult in dealing with mirrors. This mirror is made of the same material as ours, is small like ours, and adds to the discussion of context of these mirrors.