Solana must have executed this work as a tribute to Miguel de Unamuno, who in 1913 had published The Mirror of Death in which, as in this painting, Unamuno deals with human destiny, conveying the idea of suffering and loneliness and offering a reflection on human existence.

The mirror, the original of which is in the Museo Municipal in Madrid, has a curious history: the frame, which came from a church, had a piece of paper inside it listing the names of dead people. It was acquired by an antiques dealer to frame a mirror that he intended to give as a present to his young daughter, even though the seller of the mirror warned the dealer about the mortal dangers of looking into it. The young girl died suddenly soon afterwards.

Solana depicts this legend in his painting, in which the framed mirror provides the central element, located between the figures of the young girl alive and dead. In between is a bridal chest from which emerges the figure of Death. In the foreground the couple’s joined hands indicate the pacto post mortem, which cannot be destroyed.

Solana kept these marble hands among his personal possessions until his death. They are now in the Solana Archive in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.

In The Mirror of Death Solana juxtaposes life and death in a clearly symbolic work.

María José Salazar