Mirror
Asian Art
On View: Asian Galleries, West, 2nd floor (China)
This eight-lobed mirror is decorated in high relief with two lions pursuing two phoenix-like birds among floral scrolls. The design was inspired by luxury goods imported from Persia and western Asia over the Silk Road.
MEDIUM
Bronze
DATES
618-906 C.E.
DYNASTY
Tang Dynasty
PERIOD
Tang Dynasty
DIMENSIONS
Diameter: 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
40.716
CREDIT LINE
A. Augustus Healy Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Accession Card:
Bronze mirror, circular, with edge divided into eight (8) leafy parts. Knob in center through which there is now a short leather strap. Relief decoration on the mirror of phoenixes and lions with flowers. The border near the edge is raised and has scattered floral and butterfly motives. The edge itself is raised. The mirror is thick and has some green patination.
(Gallery Chat Label, 2007):
Metal mirrors with a smooth reflective surface and a decorated back were first fabricated in China's Bronze Age. This eight-lobed mirror is decorated in high relief with two lions pursuing two phoenix-like birds among floral scrolls, decoration inspired by luxury goods imported from Persia and western Asia over the Silk Road. Chinese artisans of the time favored motifs of animals and undulating grapevines, reflecting the popularity of grapevine, also imported over the Silk Road.
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Asian Galleries, West, 2nd floor (China)
CAPTION
Mirror, 618-906 C.E. Bronze, Diameter: 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, A. Augustus Healy Fund, 40.716. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 40.716_PS4.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 40.716_PS4.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2016
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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