TLV-Type Mirror

This is a popular type of Han-dynasty mirror, defined by the symmetrical arrangement of three geometric motifs resembling the Roman letters T, L, and V around the central knob. Scholars have suggested that the pattern is modeled after compasses (gui) and try squares (ju) used to mark 90-degree angles; these tools were often depicted on Han-dynasty stone engravings, in the hands of the mythological creators Fuxi and Nuwa when they were symbolically measuring and defining the cosmos. This particular mirror was purchased in 1909 in Shanghai by Stewart Culin (1858–1929), the Brooklyn Museum’s first curator of ethnology (1903–29).