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An ancient and rare mirror was discovered to have more potential than what it seemed to have at first sight, when a museum curator realized there might be something more to it.
The Cincinnati Art Museum curator of East Asian art, Hou-mei Sung, suggested the simple-looking small bronze mirror that has been tucked away in storage may resemble “magic mirrors” from the Edo period in Japan. Sung and a conservation specialist then went to uncover it in storage to see if the mirror held the secret she was looking for in the Spring of 2021.
“I asked her to shine a strong, focused light on the mirror,” Sung told CNN News from Cincinnati in a video call about the mirror on Tuesday.
“So, she used her cell phone (flashlight) and it worked,” she added.
So COOL!!!! If I told you this was the plot of the new Indiana Jones movie (or Lara Croft or Uncharted or National Treasure for that matter), I think you’d believe it. What a find! @cincyartmuseum @Local12 @writerjillie https://t.co/b8jslPJVew
— Bob Herzog (@Bob_Herzog) July 13, 2022
Following the cell phone light being shined on the mirror, the mirror proved it was capable of showing “texture in the reflected light.”
The museum then investigated the mirror deeper and used more powerful and focused lights. The focused reflected light on the mirror and then was able to reveal an intricate image of “Buddha surrounded by numerous emanating rays of light” onto the wall.
The back of the mirror also reads Amitabha, an important figure in various schools of East Asian Buddhism.
“This is a national treasure for China, and we are so lucky to have rediscovered this rare object and have on view in Cincinnati,” Sung told Cincinnati CityBeat on Tuesday.
Sung added in the interview with CNN News that the mirrors were extremely hard to create and that there could possibly be more unknown “magic mirrors” out there.
“No matter how much you can explain theoretically, it all depends on the master who polishes the surface which is tremendously difficult,” she said. “That’s why they are so rare,” Sung said.
“I found a lot in online auctions that have a similar design to ours, but (the auction listings) never say they’re magic mirrors. I believe there could be some mirrors out there that people don’t even know are magic,” she added.
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