A BRONZE OCTALOBED MIRROR

TANG DYNASTY (618-907)

Details

A BRONZE OCTALOBED MIRROR
TANG DYNASTY (618-907)
Cast in relief with two figures flanking the central knob, with Confucius holding a staff on the left and the hermit Rong Qiqi possibly holding a sword and clad in a deerskin on the right, with an inscription, Rong Qiqi wen yue de Kong Fu Zi in a panel above and a willow tree below, all within the lobed rim, with silvery grey patina
5 1/8 in. (13 cm.) diam., box

Provenance

Acquired in Hong Kong, 1991.
The Tsui Museum of Art.

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Lot Essay

The inscription identifies the two figures and may be translated, 'Rong Qiqi was questioned by, and replied to Confucius.' For a similar lobed mirror and a discussion of this type of mirror see Ju-hsi Chou, Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors, The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000, p. 77, no. 71, where the author notes that this type of mirror is often called the "Three Delights," a reference to a declaration made by Rong Qiqi. The author also notes a similar mirror in the National Palace Museum, as well as excavated examples. A circular mirror of this design is illustrated in Bronze Mirrors in the Shanghai Museum Collection, Shanghai, 1987, no. 92.

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