On Reflection

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 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.