How do ancient Chinese "mirrors" such as these in the National Museum function?

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They’re displaying the back of the mirrors. Here are a couple of images I found via Google that shows both sides:

Chinese Museums typically exhibit the back of these mirrors, because doing so showcases the craft and design of the objects more.

The reflective side, aside from not being particularly interesting, are generally not actually reflective anymore due to corrosion and wear.

Semaphore 97185

Upvote:5

The black color indicates the mirrors are silver. The silver will blacken with sulfide. If coal was being used for heating as common in modern times, the black silver sulfide (from sulfur in coal) would have formed relatively quickly ( less than a year). Periodic polishing would have been needed for use. Bronze or brass would develop greenish corrosion deposits (patina) that are chemically more complex.

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How do ancient Chinese "mirrors" such as these in the National Museum function?

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