CHINA, HAN DYNASTY (206 BC-AD 220)

Details

TWO BRONZE CIRCULAR MIRRORS
CHINA, HAN DYNASTY (206 BC-AD 220)
One a 'TLV' mirror, the central knob rising from a quatrefoil within a square, surrounded by eight nipples amidst birds, a tiger and rat, as well as 'TLV' motifs, all below a band of scroll on the rim, with reddish oxidation; the other mirror with a central knob surrounded by seven animals and two immortals within a narrow inscription border and other decorative borders below further animals, immortals and birds on the rim, with blackish-grey patina
Both: 5 ½ in. (14 cm.) diameter, box
500 g and 562 g
500 g and 562 g

Provenance

The Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth, New York, acquired in Hong Kong, 1990.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve.

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Gemma Sudlow

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Lot Essay

The decoration on this 'TLV’ mirror and others like it is now believed to be derived from the layout of Qin and Han dynasty liubo game boards. A similar mirror is illustrated in Ancient Bronze Mirrors in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2005, pp. 158-9, no. 42, where the knob can be seen to rise from a similar quatrefoil. See, also, the 'TLV’ mirror from the collection of the Springfield Museums, Massachusetts, sold at Christie’s New York, 21-22 March 2013, lot 1139.

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