How can we tell the difference between a reflection and the real thing? How does a reflection betray its identity? Why is it that when we look at a mirror we can see either our reflection in the mirror or the mirror but not both at the same time? How and when do we learn to recognise our own reflection? What does a reflective surface look like and how can we distinguish it from a non-reflective surface? Why is it that certain paintings may be turned upside down and still be visually acceptable? How are the various qualities of reflection represented in art -- from the diffuse sheen of burnished copper to the realism of silvered glass?
In this innovative book, published to accompany the exhibition Mirror Image at the National Gallery, London, Jonathan Miller discusses these puzzling questions and investigates the pictorial representation of reflection -- "sheen, shine, glimmer and gleam" -- through a wonderfully varied selection of paintings and photographs, covering nine centuries, drawn from the National Gallery and other international collections.
Dr. Miller also examines our perceptual capacity to recognise real-life mirrors as well as those in pictures, a complex psychological process of which we are usually unaware. He also traces the ambivalent imagery of mirrors from neutral aids to representing the self as in Rembrandt's Self Portrait or Velázquez's Rokeby Venus, through metaphors of either virtues or vices in allegorical paintings as seen in Le Tournier's Allegory of Justice and Vanity.
This exciting and beautifully illustrated book provides a guide to reflecting on reflections, enhancing the reader's enjoyment both of visual art and the role of light in everyday life.

"Published to accompany an exhibition entitled Mirror image: Jonathan Miller on reflection, at the National Gallery, London, 16 September-13 December 1998."