mercury mirror

By A Mystery Man Writer

Last updated 23 May 2024

Before mercury mirrorsThe Chinese (since the Neolithic Period), the Egyptians (2,900 BC), the Greeks and the Romans all shared the desire to contemplate their reflection and needed a tool to do so. Historians and archeologists found traces of mirrors, mostly hand-mirrors, made out of polished metal, usually bronze or silver. Because they were small in size, they did not allow one to contemplate oneself from head to toe. These rare objects belonged to highly ranked people. It was not until the 13th century that a new way of producing mirrors appeared. The first method was to deposit a thin layer of silver or polished lead on the glass. Later on, this process was improved and the method for making tin mirrors was discovered. It used a layer of silvering made of lead, tin, and bismuth, instead of silver and lead, on the glass plate.The discovery of the mercury mirrorAlthough the earlier methods had emerged in the North, Venice was unquestionably the leading producer of mercury mirrors for many years. Venice