mirror (toilet articles)

Brass-handled mirror with an inset square of reflective glass. There is engraved decoration on the handle, featuring two parakeets. one each eside of a rosette, with a heart-shaped aperture and an engraved conch shell below. A lotus flower is engraved on the reverse.
Label: The object has a Church Missionary Society label attached. On the reverse is a description of the object: 'MIRROR. The secret of making / these mirrors is known only to / one family in Travancore. The / handle and setting is a brass / casting and hence may be broken / by a fall. The engraving on the / handle is a representation of the / Travancore sacred Shankhu or shell.'

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
6.12.65/771
Date
late 19th or early 20th century
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 294 mm x 108 mm x 8 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
brass; glass
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
World Gallery > Perspectives > Museums perspective - back wall
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Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

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