The History of Mirrors

The history of mirrors starts in the III Century B.C. Most ancient mirrors were made from metal and had a round shape. The backside of the ancient mirrors was beautifully embellished with ornamentation. Mirrors were made from highly polished bronze and silver. The first glass mirrors were invented in I Century by Romans.

From ancient times special qualities had been given to mirrors, that no other object had. The Greek philosopher Socrates gave advice to young men to look at themselves in the mirror, and those who were handsome should focus their life on keeping their souls clean and stay away from the temptations of life that could take them on the wrong path. If a young man would find that he is not handsome, he should compensate for his look from his heart, and get known for doing a lot of good things.

In Medieval period glass mirrors completely disappeared, because during those times religious confessions stated that the devil is looking and watching the world from the opposite side of glass mirrors. Poor fashionable ladies had to use polished metal mirrors or special water bowls instead of glass mirrors.

Glass mirrors came back only in the 13th century. This time they were bent slightly outward. The method of attaching the tin to the flat surface of the glass wasn’t invented yet. Using available technology master glaziers poured hot tin into glass tubs, and then, after the tin was cold, they would break it into separate pieces.

Only three centuries later, Venetian masters invented a “flat mirror technique.” They figured out how to attach the tin to a flat glass surface. Venetian masters invented another trick. They created a special reflective mixture in which gold and bronze were added. Because of this “magical” mixture, all objects reflecting in the mirrors looked much more beautiful than in reality. The cost of one Venetian mirror then was comparable to the cost of the large naval ship.

In a city of Nuremberg (Germany) in 1373 the first mirror manufacturing plant was open. Mirrors were then aggressively integrated into all aspects of life. In the 16th century, mirrors became a part of mysterious rituals and witchcraft. Also, for 200 years, mirrors were used by Spanish and French spies for coding and decoding secret messages. This secret coding system was introduced in the 15th century by Leonardo da Vinci. The scriptures were coded in “mirror reflection,” and without the mirror, it was impossible to read the message.

Mirrors were part of another significant invention of the time – the periscope. The opportunity to discreetly spy on one’s enemy by using a system of interactive mirrors saved a lot of lives during wars. During the famous Thirty Year war, mirrors were used by all sides to blind the enemy during military actions with a bright reflection of sunlight. It was tough to aim when thousands of tiny mirrors blind your eyes.

Starting with the 12th century, no respectful lady left her house without a small mirror. Handheld mirrors and pears mirrors became must-have items for every woman. Ladies wore gold embellished mirrors on a chain around their neck or waist, inserted mirrors into the fens. Mirrors were treated just like precious jewelry and were encased in specially crafted exotic materials like a turtle shell or elephant bone frames. Some of the mirror’s frames were made from gold or silver with elegant miniature engravings.

In the 15th century, the Venetian Island of Murano became the center of glass making and was known as the “Isle of Glass.” They officially created the “Council of Ten” with a special mission of vigorously protecting the secrets of there glass making techniques. Masters glassmakers were secretly transported to the island of Murano undercover as firefighters. The “Council of Ten” generously supported glassmakers and at the same time kept them isolated from the rest of the world. The profits from the mirror making monopoly were too large to take any risks. European monarchs at whatever it cost tried to find out the Venetian glassmaking secrets. They accomplish this goal in the 17th century when Colbert (the minister of Ludwig XIV) bribed with gold three Murano masters and transported them into France.