SG Talk

Published 13th July 2022
Written by
Oscar Holland, CNN


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she visited the museum's storage rooms accompanied by a conservation expert.

"I asked her to shine a strong, focused light on the mirror," Sung said on a video call from Cincinnati. "So, she used her cell phone (flashlight) and it worked."

On the wall before them was the appearance of texture in the reflected light -- not a distinct image, but enough to warrant further investigation. Following experiments using more powerful and focused lights, the mirror eventually revealed the image of a Buddha, rays of light emanating from his seated form. The inscription on the mirror's back spells out who was depicted:
Amitabha, an important figure in various schools of East Asian Buddhism.

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Before the invention of today's glass mirrors, people from cultures around the world gazed into polished bronze, from ancient Egypt to the Indus Valley. The ancient art of Chinese magic mirrors was first developed during the Han dynasty, around 2,000 years ago,

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When sunlight hits the reflective surface in a certain way, a hidden image -- matching the design on the back -- would be revealed, giving the illusion that light was passing right through the mirror. For this reason, they are known in Chinese as "transparent" or "light-penetration" mirrors.

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The mirrors baffled Western scientists who encountered them in the 19th century. And while their optics are now broadly understood, Sung said experts still don't know precisely how craftspeople worked the metal.

"No matter how much you can explain theoretically, it all depends on the master who polishes the surface which is tremendously difficult," she said. "That's why they are so rare."


Full article at: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/ma...index.html

Here is the secret image. 
Buddha at point of enlightment.