AN UNUSUAL SILVERY BRONZE 'LION AND GRAPEVINE' MIRROR

TANG DYNASTY (618-907)

Details

AN UNUSUAL SILVERY BRONZE 'LION AND GRAPEVINE' MIRROR
TANG DYNASTY (618-907)
One side crisply cast in relief with a central lion-form knop surrounded by four large mythical beasts alternating with smaller beasts as they frolic amidst a fruit-laden grape vine, within a narrow raised border and an outer field which depicts a shaman-like figure chasing a lion, various birds, a winged horse, another lion, rabbits, and a bee amidst further fruiting grapevine, below a narrow border of classic scroll and the raised rim, the reverse plain, with silvery surface and some green and ferrous encrustation
4 7/16 in. (11.3 cm.) diam., wood box

Provenance

Japanese private collection, acquired prior to 1992.

Lot Essay

This mirror is quite unusual in that the outer field includes a shaman-like figure, a winged horse, rabbits and a bee besides the usual lions and birds interspersed amidst the grapevine. For a mirror of this type decorated with various kinds of birds in various positions and insects see Ju-hsi Chou, Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors, The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000, p. 65, no. 55.

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