Inlay for a Mirror or Box: Lady on a Bird

A thin beaten silver plaque shows a seated woman with her hair in a high bun, riding a bird with a hooked beak, spread wings and long streaming tail feathers. Her sleeve sweeps upward in a looping ribbon, and the tail feathers end in banded, chevron-patterned tips. The fine chased lines and worn surface suggest a decorative inlay for a mirror or box.

Look closer: Fine chased feather hatching and banded chevron pattern on the tail tips.

Artist

Unknown

Date

c. 900–1000

Medium

beaten silver with chased details

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Size

3400 × 2210 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Eugene Victor Thaw