The Moral Mirror of Roman Art

Rabun Taylor
Cambridge University Press, 2008-05-12
EAN 9780521866125, ISBN10: 052186612X

Hardcover, 288 pages, 25.3 x 17.7 x 2.3 cm
Language: English

This interdisciplinary study explores the meanings of mirrors and reflections in Roman art and society. When used as metaphors in Roman visual and literary discourses, mirrors had a strongly moral force, reflecting not random reality but rather a carefully filtered imagery with a didactic message. Focusing on examples found in mythical narrative, religious devotion, social interaction, and gender relations, Rabun Taylor demonstrates that reflections served as powerful symbols of personal change. Thus, in both art and literature, a reflection may be present during moments of a protagonist's inner or outer transformation.