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Mirror handle fragment in the form of a siren
Greek
Classical Period
450–430 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Bronze
Dimensions
Height x width: 6.3 x 8.4 cm (2 1/2 x 3 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Henry Lillie Pierce Fund
Accession Number99.468
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsTools and equipment – Cosmetic and medical
Catalogue Raisonné
Greek, Etruscan, & Roman Bronzes (MFA), no. 358; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 123 (additional published references).
DescriptionThis bronze fragment shows a siren with her wings outstretched and curving above her head. The feathers of her wings are rendered in two rows and all curve upwards, emphasizing the shape of the creature and bringing the eye upwards towards her head. Layers of feathers are also incised on the siren’s chest. The face of the siren is placid and serene, appearing elegant with carefully coiffed hair, and thus juxtaposing even more strongly with the avian body on which it appears. The bar which the siren supports on her head and wings may once have held the disc of a mirror, or was perhaps originally attached to the handle of a bronze vessel.
ProvenanceBy 1899: with Edward Perry Warren (according to Warren's records: bought in Greece.); purchased by MFA from Edward Perry Warren, 1899, for $ 32,500.00 (this is the total price for MFA 99.338-99.542)