in the dark old siam, as highly prized as light itself werethings that reflect. The shiner the surface, the less light source required,the greater the impact. Silk and bead encrusted, costume, mirror tiled temples, lustrous gold - quality and status cold be measured by the power to dazzle. and like fairly lights, their fragmented glinting conjured the infinity of Buddhist cosmology. the more reflective the object, the higher the status of its owner.