Magic Mirror at the Putnam Museum & Science Center -- through March 31.
Through Sunday, March 31
Putnam Museum & Science Center, 1717 West 12th Street, Davenport IA
For more than 100 years, a “magic mirror” from Japan has been sitting in a local collection without anyone's knowledge, and through March 31, this unique artifact will be viewable at Davenport's Putnam Museum & Science Center, treating patrons to the sight of an object that the Putnam's curatorial team initially discovered in 2022.
The magic mirror is a bronze mirror that is engraved on the back in Chinese characters reading “Homage to Amitābha [Buddha]." But what is so special about this mirror is that when light hits it at just the right angle, an image that would otherwise be completely hidden to the naked eye is projected onto the wall. These mirrors were popular in Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods and are exceedingly rare, as they were difficult to make and possibly expensive to purchase. As of today, Putnam staffers know of only three of this type of incredible mirror in the United States: the Putnam mirror, one at the Cincinnati Art Museum, and one at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“This is a significant find not only for the Putnam Museum, but for the world, as well” said the project's Moriarty curatorial project coordinator Nora Moriarty. “There are very few of these mirrors currently identified, and a new addition like ours may help scholars learn about where and when they were created.”
This mirror was purchased in Japan in 1904 by Charles Ficke, who brought it back to his hometown of Davenport and later included it in a large donation to the Putnam Museum. In his records, Ficke lists this mirror as a “Magic Mirror," but over time, that knowledge was lost to Putnam records. Until, that is, one Friday afternoon, when Moriarty began to become curious about the bronze mirrors in the Putnam collection after reading about one recently discovered at the Cincinnati Art Museum. After some trial and error with a flashlight, the team saw evidence that this mirror might truly be magical. With the help of Genesis Health System, the museum was able to perform a CT scan on the mirror so that they could see the layers inside. What was found was an amazing image of Amitābha Buddha between the layers of the mirror that can only be seen under perfect lighting conditions.
“It was an exciting moment," said Moriarty, "illuminating the mirror in the darkness with a flashlight. I thought I saw the image of a buddha that day, but I wasn’t sure. Seeing my suspicions confirmed in that CT scan was beyond exciting. I knew then that we truly had something special here at the Putnam Museum."
The Magic Mirror will be on temporary display at the Putnam, and will eventually be moved to a permanent display during a separate project at the museum connected to the capital campaign. The museum would like to thank Jordan Voigt, Brandi Eriksen, and Vanessa Fowler of Genesis Health System for donating their time and equipment to help authenticate this discovery, with additional special thanks to Dr. Hou-Mei Sung and Kelly Rectenwald of the Cincinnati Art Museum, and Janet Leigh Foster of the University of London for sharing their expertise.
The Magic Mirror will be on display at the Putnam Museum & Science Center through March 31, hours of operation are Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., and viewing of the object is free with $10-12 general admission. For more information and tickets, call (563)324-1933 and visit Putnam.org.
