Magic Mirror

Who made it?
We don’t know exactly who the artisan was, but they would have been a skilled metalworker.  

When was it made?
We are not positive. However, it was likely made in the latter half of the 19th century CE (Meiji Period). Otherwise, it could also have been made during the late Edo Period.

Why is it called a “Magic Mirror”?
This type of bronze mirror is “magic” because it reflects an image, otherwise invisible, when light is shone on it. What seems to be a blank polished surface is, in this case, an image of Buddha.

How did it get to the Putnam Museum in Davenport, IA? 
The mirror was purchased in 1904 by C.A. Ficke during a trip to Japan. We don’t have record of what town he purchased it in. In his ledger, he describes it as “very old.” However, it was likely only a few decades old at the time. 

How does it work?
The mirror’s magic properties are a result of careful craftsmanship. It’s made of two plates sandwiched together. On the ‘back’ plate is a visible inscription in Chinese, “Amitabha Buddha.” The front plate has a smooth, polished surface – serving as a mirror.

However, on the reverse side of the front plate, hidden between the layers of bronze, is an image of Buddha. The key to being able to see the image is polishing the mirror to a thickness of 1mm in the thinnest spots. This leaves the negative space around the Buddha thinner than the lines of the Buddha himself. By creating a microscopic variation in the line depth,  Buddha’s reflection is visible.

What does “Amitabha Buddha” mean?
Amitabha Buddha is an important buddha in Pure Land Buddhism. He is believed to have once been a monk named Dharmakara. He lived according to 48 tenets, so he may reach or be reborn into the realm buddhaksetra, or “Pure Land.”

There are some that believe he had many lives of great merit and created his own Pure Land called Sukhavati, which his followers may attain themselves.

How many of these mirrors are there? 
We’re not sure! Similar mirrors are probably in museums and private collections all over the world without people realizing what they are.

Recently, a researcher named Janet Leigh Foster shared that she had counted 24 double-plated bronze mirrors worldwide, with only a handful known to be in the United States. Currently, this includes the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and now the Putnam Museum and Science Center.

Is this mirror seems very similar to the Cincinnati Art Museum mirror.
It certainly is! Dr. Hou-mei Sung (CAM Curator of East Asian Art) agrees that our two mirrors seem to be the same type. It may be that they were produced in the same workshop. Furthermore, they could even be from the same artist, or perhaps cast from the same mold. We’re excited to learn more by comparing the mirrors. In addition to this, another very similar mirror can be found in the Kamakura Museum in Japan. 

Why didn’t you know it was a “Magic Mirror”?
When the mirror was donated in 1914, C. A. Ficke’s ledger listed it as a “magic mirror.” Yet at some point, that information was lost. The card catalog entry listed it simply as a bronze mirror from Japan. For over 100 years, it sat with the other bronze mirrors.

Magic mirrors are very rare and not common knowledge. It wasn’t until the Cincinnati Art Museum shared their discovery of their own mirror in 2022 that staff thought to check the mirror to see if it truly was “magic.”