The Psyche mirror
Berthe Morisot·1876
Historical Context
Painted in 1876 and now in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, this canvas depicts a woman before a large cheval mirror — a 'psyche' or 'psyché mirror' as tall mirrors were called in French — allowing Morisot to explore the doubling of the female figure through reflection. Mirrors as a device fascinated Impressionist painters, enabling complex plays of identity, appearance, and self-perception. Morisot's treatment focuses on the woman's absorbed self-examination, neither voyeuristic nor moralistic, but simply observational.
Technical Analysis
The mirror's tall frame provides a strong vertical structure, with the reflected image creating a doubled figure that enriches the composition's spatial complexity. Morisot handles the reflective surface with subtly modified tones and strokes that suggest the slightly different quality of reflected versus direct light.
