Mirror c. 1710

Curator: Standing before us, we have a rather spectacular "Mirror" from around 1710. It's held in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art and crafted from wood, in the baroque style, attributed to an anonymous artist. Editor: It strikes me as imposing, like some sort of gilded authority figure, overseeing my own reflection! All that carved ornamentation, particularly at the crest, evokes heraldry, of power, of self-importance. It's more than just a mirror; it's a declaration. Curator: Precisely. The Baroque style often utilizes these ornate embellishments. Symbols like these fierce dragon figures can indicate vigilance, wisdom or guarding against evil spirits in one's surroundings. What could seeing one's reflection framed with such symbols provoke? Editor: It depends, I suppose. For the nobility it was probably reassurance of power. For a peasant perhaps a mocking reminder of a world to which they can't fully belong. How clever that this thing we all use for grooming has so much wrapped up in how different people perceive themselves relative to each other and the values of that society! It feels very Freud, but a few centuries early. Curator: Well, yes! This also tells us how an ordinary object could be used as an ideological tool. Even the way light is reflected and distributed through these mirrors, positioned with sconces, would control the spaces of Baroque era parlors. Light and self-regard; the age of enlightenment dawning perhaps? Editor: It’s funny how objects, often overlooked, can hold such sway over how we perceive not just ourselves but our entire place in the world. Looking at this now I see that, plus a bit of anxiety. Mirrors are about to reflect some truths, I guess. Curator: I quite agree, perhaps it's a call to re-evaluate the values we still reflect, and which we aim to leave behind.