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Mirror with Minerva, Venus, and Juno
Roman
Imperial Period
about A.D. 100–200
Medium/Technique
Gilt bronze
Dimensions
Diameter: 16.4 cm (6 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Theodora Wilbour Fund in memory of Zoë Wilbour
Accession Number69.71
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsTools and equipment – Cosmetic and medical
Catalogue Raisonné
Greek, Etruscan, & Roman Bronzes (MFA), no. 400A; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 123 (additional published references).
DescriptionThe scene likely represents the Judgement of Paris. Athena, Hera (?) and Aphrodite are seen in a landscape setting. At left, Athena, in helmet and chiton, holds her spear and leans against her shield and aegis. In the middle, a goddess (Hera?), nude from the waist up, is seated on steps before an altar and holds a kalathos (basket) and a sprig of pomegranates (?). At right, Aphrodite, holding an apple, rests her left arm against a pillar. Behind Athena, an owl sits atop the rocks, as a scorpion ascends. In the area below the groundline are two birds pecking at a basket of fruit are flanked by a torch and a mirror. Rolled fillets and an egg-and-dart molding enframe the scene. Extensive remains of gilding. Rim of the lower half is broken off. The backing with the reliefs has been mounted on a disc which has a polished outer surface.
ProvenanceBy date unknown: with Robert E. Hecht, Jr.; purchased by MFA from Robert E. Hecht, Jr., May 14, 1969