The origin of the mirror, the most widely used object in all homes, rich or poor, is lost in antiquity. The earliest mirrors date back to 2000 years. They belonged to Etruscans, Greeks and Romans and consisted of a thin convex disc of a metal, mostly bronze, which was polished on one side. Mirrors were made from glass and coated with tin or silver. It has been mentioned by Pliny that these were made at Sidon.
Secret made known
Greek mirrors dating back to 400 B.C. have been unearthed in Corinth with wooden frames and handles carved with the figure of Greek goddess of Love Aphrodite.
The mirror, as we know it today was a luxury item in many parts of Europe. This was because there were only a handful of artisans in Venice who knew the secret of making it.
Louis XIV, emperor of France, succeeded in smuggling some of these artisans to his country and making large mirrors, cut in to different shapes to adorn his fabulous palace. He accomplished this at the risk of a war with Venice, which prohibited the craftsmen from divulging the secret to any one, especially to foreigners. The battle, however, was averted by a truce, when the French emperor paid an astronomical sum to the Government of Venice. The Government of Venice however, imprisoned the artisans who betrayed the secret.
Across the world
Thereafter, the mirror spread its wings and flew off to all parts of the world.
In Greece, mirrors were considered divine. They were dipped in sacred wells and people who were on their death beds were made to look at their reflection in them as it was believed they would attain salvation after their demise.
A German scientist named Justus Van Leibig invented the chemical process of coating a glass surface with metallic silver, now called silvering. Mirrors are now extensively employed in astronomy. Astronomical telescopes are reflectors using concave mirrors.
