Venice History

  • The Mirror’s Deadly Monopoly | Object Histories

    The Mirror’s Deadly Monopoly | Object Histories

    Seeing your own face used to be a luxury almost nobody could afford. From polished obsidian at Çatalhöyük and sacred bronze in Han dynasty China, to a Venetian state secret guarded by assassins, Louis XIV’s spiteful Hall of Mirrors, and the chemist who finally made mirrors cheap enough for everyone — this is the surprising…

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