Dr Dee's magical mirror
- Audio guide stop: 130
- Gallery: Room 1
- Culture: Aztec
- Made in: Mexico
- Date: 14thC-16thC (?)
- Object type: magical mirror, mirror-case
- Materials: obsidian (Confirmed by analysis to be from Pachuca, Hildalgo, Mexico (2019)); wood; leather
- Museum number: 1966,1001.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is "Dr Dee's Magical Mirror"—a striking obsidian mirror crafted by the Aztec civilization in Mexico, likely between the 14th and 16th centuries. The mirror is housed in a beautifully tooled wooden case covered with leather. Inside, a small, polished shard of volcanic glass sits in the frame, reflecting a surface that once held important spiritual and symbolic meaning.
Obsidian was highly valued in Aztec culture for both practical and magical purposes. This mirror was later connected to Dr. John Dee, a 16th-century English polymath known for his work in alchemy and the occult. The label on the case, in the handwriting of Horace Walpole, quotes lines from a Samuel Butler poem, linking the mirror to the legendary figure Kelly, a magical associate of Dee.
Though the mirror's original purpose in Aztec ritual is not known with certainty, its journey across continents and centuries makes it a fascinating artifact of both cultural and historical significance.
See it in person
Dr Dee's magical mirror is on display in Room 1 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 130, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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