A LARGE SILVERY BRONZE MIRROR

WESTERN HAN DYNASTY (206 BC-AD 8)

Details

A LARGE SILVERY BRONZE MIRROR
WESTERN HAN DYNASTY (206 BC-AD 8)
The central loop set within a calyx motif within a square border enclosing a twelve-character inscription, with tripartite leaf motifs at the corners separating axial bosses flanked by grass-like designs, all within a scallop border, with malachite and ferrous encrustation
8¼ in. (21 cm.) diam., box

Provenance

Acquired in Hong Kong, 1989.

Exhibited

The Glorious Traditions of Chinese Bronzes, Singapore, 2000, no. 98.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 2002-2006.

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

A similar mirror with the same inscription, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, is illustrated by Ju-hsi Chou, Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors, The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000, pp. 32-3, no. 11, where the inscription, which invokes general blessings, is translated, p. 33. The author notes that a mirror of this type was found in the tomb of Liu Sheng, the Prince Jing of Zhongshan (d. 113 BC), who was buried in Mancheng, Hebei province. Although the mirror would have been made somewhat earlier, it shows the popularity of this type of mirror during this period.

More from The Sze Yuan Tang Archaic Bronzes from the Anthony Hardy Collection

View All