Archaeological Museum of Bologna

The characteristics of the grave goods from this female interment point to the Etruscan tradition. The personal ornaments are rather modest, represented by a necklace of beads made of amber and glass paste; the most valuable object is unquestionably the bronze mirror, which is decorated on the back. The deposition of mirrors, objects made for the care of the body, was common in the Etruscan tombs of Bologna as of the mid-5th century BC.
La deposizione di specchi, oggetti destinati alla cura del corpo, è infatti diffusa a Bologna nelle sepolture etrusche a partire dalla metà del V sec. a.C.

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Mirrors of this type, composed of a bronze disc that was polished on one side and came with a separate handle (made of wood or bone), were produced by the workshops of the inland areas of central Etruria and in northern Etruria. Scenes – often genre representations – inspired by mythological episodes were engraved on the non-reflecting side. A winged female figure, perhaps one of the Lasae, is depicted here holding a vase – the alabastron – used for ointments and perfumes.

Provenance: Bologna, Benacci necropolis, tomb 663
Datation: Late 4th–early 3rd century BC
Material: Bronze
Dimensions: Diameter cm 14,2
Inventory #: 16295