Mirrors and mirroring : from antiquity to the early modern period

This Volume Examines Mirrors And Mirroring Through A Series Of Multidisciplinary Essays, Especially Focusing On The Intersection Between Technological And Cultural Dynamics Of Mirrors. The International Scholars Brought Together Here Explore Critical Questions Around The Mirror As Artefact And The Phenomenon Of Mirroring. Beside The Common Visual Registration Of An Action Or Inaction, In A Two Dimensional And Reversed Form, Various Types Of Mirrors Often Possess Special Abilities Which Can Produce A Distorted Picture Of Reality, Serving In This Way Illusion And Falsehood. Part I Looks At A Selection Of Theory From Ancient Writers, Demonstrating The Concern To Explore These Same Questions In Antiquity. Part Ii Considers The Role Reflections Can Play In Forming Ideas Of Gender And Identity. Beyond The Everyday, We See In Part Iii How Oracular Mirrors And Magical Mirrors Reveal The Invisible Divine - Prosthetics That Allow Us To Look Where The Eye Cannot Reach. Finally, Part Iv Considers Mirrors' Roles In Displaying The Visible And Invisible In Antiquity And Since-- Introduction -- Philosophy, Reflections And Mirrors. The Liver And The Mirror: Images Beyond The Eye In Plato's Timaeus / Ava Shirazi -- Alexander Of Aphrodisias On The Reality Of Mirror Images / Katerina Ierodiakonou -- Catoptrology In Lucretius' Drn (4.269-323) / Myrto Garani -- Tideus' Theory Of Reflection In On The Mirrors / Mikhail Silian -- [wo]men In The Mirror. Mirrors Of Women, Mirrors Of Words: The Mirror In The Greek Papyri / Isabella Bonati, Nicola Reggiani -- A Flame On Etruscan Mirrors? Meaning And Function In Daily Life And Religion Of The Pattern On The Mirrors' Reflecting Side / Vittorio Mascelli -- Portable Love: Ivory Mirror Cases Under The Lens Of Fin' Amor / Loreto Casanueva Reyes -- So Skillfully Mirrored In His Art: (re)visiting Mirrors In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray / Nikolas P. Kakkoufa -- Liminal Mirror. Mirrors And The Manufacture Of Religious Aura In The Greaco-roman World / Tatiana Bur -- The Mirror Of Nature / Daniel Marković -- The Spotless Dioptra Of Prophecy: A Mirror Metaphor In Byzantine Literature / Eirini Afentoulidou -- Mirrors And Mirroring In Dreams: Self-reflection And Liminality In The Roman De La Rose And In The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili / Efthymia Priki -- Mimetic Mirror. Plane And Curved Mirrors In Classical Antiquity / Maria Gerolemou -- Lucian's Lunar Mirror (vh 1.26): An Ancient Telescopic / Karen Ni Mheallaigh -- Mirroring The Face Of God: The Challenge Of The Invisible Face And The Metropolitan Crucifixion Ivory / Kalliroe Linardou -- Technologies Made In Greece: Konstantinos Simonides' Steampunk Inventions Through The Looking-glass / Lilia Diamantopoulou. Edited By Maria Gerolemou, Lilia Diamantopoulou. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover page 1 Halftitle page 2 Series page 3 Title page 4 Copyright page 5 CONTENTS 6 FIGURES 8 CONTRIBUTORS 10 INTRODUCTION 12 The volume at a glance 14 PART I PHILOSOPHY, REFLECTIONS AND MIRRORS 18 CHAPTER 1 THE LIVER AND THE MIRROR: IMAGES BEYOND THE EYE IN PLATO’S TIMAEUS 20 CHAPTER 2 ALEXANDER OF APHRODISIAS ON THEEALITY OF MIRROR IMAGES1 30 Mirror images are false 30 Mirror images, colours and light 32 The relational character of seeing 35 Mirror images are real 38 CHAPTER 3 CATOPTROLOGY IN LUCRETIUS’ DRN (4.269–323)1 40 CHAPTER 4 TIDEUS’ THEORY OF REFLECTION IN ON THE MIRRORS 54 PART II [WO]MEN IN THE MIRROR 68 CHAPTER 5 MIRRORS OF WOMEN, MIRRORS OF WORDS: THE MIRROR IN THE GREEK PAPYRI 70 Introduction 70 1a. The ‘mirror’ in ancient Greek 71 1b. The ‘mirror’ in the Greek papyri 72 1c. The word ὄσυπτρον in the digital editions of the Greek papyri 76 2. Mirrors and women’s world in the papyri: Between words, objects and culture 78 CHAPTER 6 A FLAME ON ETRUSCAN MIRRORS? MEANING AND FUNCTION IN DAILY LIFE AND RELIGION OF THE PATTERN ON THE MIRRORS’ REFLECTING SIDE 1 84 Introduction 84 Worship of the Dioscuri in Italy and their feminine relevance? 85 A flame on Etruscan mirrors: Function and interpretation 88 Conclusion 90 Appendix 90 CHAPTER 7 PORTABLE LOVE: IVORY MIRROR CASES UNDER THE LENS OF FIN’ AMOR 92 Opening the mirror 92 Mirrors and social reflection 93 Portable love, readable mirror 94 Ars Amandi as speculum or the art of love Is a mirror 98 Closing the mirror 101 CHAPTER 8 ‘SO SKILFULLY MIRRORED IN HIS ART’: (RE)VISITING MIRRORS IN OSCAR WILDE’S THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY 104 PART III LIMINAL MIRROR 116 CHAPTER 9 MIRRORS AND THE MANUFACTURE OF RELIGIOUS AURA IN THE GRAECO-ROMAN WORLD 118 Mirrors and religious aura 118 (The ontology of) reflection in Greek thought 120 Ancient catoptric manuals 121 Mirrors and ancient Greek religious aura 123 Conclusions 128 CHAPTER 10 THE MIRROR OF NATURE 130 1) Lucretius 3.972–75 130 2) Cicero, De finibus 2.32 132 3) Cicero, De finibus 5.61 133 4) Plutarch, Moralia 967d5–e1 134 Conclusion 135 CHAPTER 11 ‘THE UNSPOTTED DIOPTRA OF PROPHECY’: A MIRROR METAPHOR IN BYZANTINE LITERATURE 1 138 I. ‘The unspotted mirror of God’s majesty’: The original and its likeness 138 Christology 139 Icons 140 Mirror of God as a state of perfection 141 Literature as mirror: Letters and encomia 142 II. ‘Through a mirror in a riddle’: Medium and revelation 143 The see-through veil 144 Prophecy and clairvoyance 145 III. Mirror as title metaphor: The Dioptra 147 Conclusion 148 CHAPTER 12 MIRRORS AND MIRRORING IN DREAMS: SELF-REFLECTION AND LIMINALITY IN THE ROMAN DE LA ROSE AND IN THE HYPNEROTOMACHIA POLIPHILI 1 150 PART IV MIMETIC MIRROR 166 CHAPTER 13 PLANE AND CURVED MIRRORS IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY 168 Introduction 168 Plane mirrors and catoptric mimesis 169 Curved mirrors and catoptric animism 173 CHAPTER 14 REFLECTIONS ON LUCIAN’S LUNAR MIRROR: SPECULUM LUNAE AND AN ANCIENT TELESCOPIC FANTASY 1 176 The early catoptric Moon: Heliophotism and the witch 177 Historical heuristics and analogical drift 179 Speculum lunae : The great cosmic mirror 180 Lucian’s lunar observatory 183 Conclusion 185 CHAPTER 15 MIRRORING THE FACE OF GOD: THE CHALLENGE OF THE ‘INVISIBLE FACE’ AND THE METROPOLITAN CRUCIFIXION IVORY1 188 CHAPTER 16 TECHNOLOGIES ‘MADE IN GREECE’: KONSTANTINOS SIMONIDES’ STEAMPUNK INVENTIONS THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS 200 NOTES 210 BIBLIOGRAPHY 258 INDEX 288 This Volume Examines Mirrors And Mirroring Through A Series Of Multidisciplinary Essays, Especially Focusing On The Intersection Between Technological And Cultural Dynamics Of Mirrors. The International Scholars Brought Together Here Explore Critical Questions Around The Mirror As Artefact And The Phenomenon Of Mirroring. Beside The Common Visual Registration Of An Action Or Inaction, In A Two Dimensional And Reversed Form, Various Types Of Mirrors Often Possess Special Abilities Which Can Produce A Distorted Picture Of Reality, Serving In This Way Illusion And Falsehood. Part I Looks At A Selection Of Theory From Ancient Writers, Demonstrating The Concern To Explore These Same Questions In Antiquity. Part Ii Considers The Role Reflections Can Play In Forming Ideas Of Gender And Identity. Beyond The Everyday, We See In Part Iii How Oracular Mirrors And Magical Mirrors Reveal The Invisible Divine - Prosthetics That Allow Us To Look Where The Eye Cannot Reach. Finally, Part Iv Considers Mirrors' Roles In Displaying The Visible And Invisible In Antiquity And Since-- Introduction -- Philosophy, Reflections And Mirrors. The Liver And The Mirror: Images Beyond The Eye In Plato's Timaeus / Ava Shirazi -- Alexander Of Aphrodisias On The Reality Of Mirror Images / Katerina Ierodiakonou -- Catoptrology In Lucretius' Drn (4.269-323) / Myrto Garani -- Tideus' Theory Of Reflection In On The Mirrors / Mikhail Silian -- [wo]men In The Mirror. Mirrors Of Women, Mirrors Of Words: The Mirror In The Greek Papyri / Isabella Bonati, Nicola Reggiani -- A Flame On Etruscan Mirrors? Meaning And Function In Daily Life And Religion Of The Pattern On The Mirrors' Reflecting Side / Vittorio Mascelli -- Portable Love: Ivory Mirror Cases Under The Lens Of Fin' Amor / Loreto Casanueva Reyes -- So Skillfully Mirrored In His Art: (re)visiting Mirrors In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray / Nikolas P. Kakkoufa -- Liminal Mirror. Mirrors And The Manufacture Of Religious Aura In The Greaco-roman World / Tatiana Bur -- The Mirror Of Nature / Daniel Marković -- The Spotless Dioptra Of Prophecy: A Mirror Metaphor In Byzantine Literature / Eirini Afentoulidou -- Mirrors And Mirroring In Dreams: Self-reflection And Liminality In The Roman De La Rose And In The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili / Efthymia Priki -- Mimetic Mirror. Plane And Curved Mirrors In Classical Antiquity / Maria Gerolemou -- Lucian's Lunar Mirror (vh 1.26): An Ancient Telescopic / Karen Ni Mheallaigh -- Mirroring The Face Of God: The Challenge Of The Invisible Face And The Metropolitan Crucifixion Ivory / Kalliroe Linardou -- Technologies Made In Greece: Konstantinos Simonides' Steampunk Inventions Through The Looking-glass / Lilia Diamantopoulou. Edited By Maria Gerolemou, Lilia Diamantopoulou. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.