Antique mirror. Made of bronze. Europe, twentieth century.

The history of the mirror is connected not only with everyday life, but with science and art. Perhaps for the first time a person saw his reflection on the surface of the water. The earliest mirrors were made of polished stone, obsidian, and volcanic glass. Many of them were discovered in Turkey and are at least 6,000 years old. In Ancient Egypt, polished copper was used to make mirrors, often the round surface was decorated with ornaments. In China, mirrors were made from metal alloys, the so-called metal mirrors, and there were also polished bronze mirrors. Metal alloys or mirrors made of precious metals were very valuable items in ancient times, available to a very wealthy population.