TANG DYNASTY (618-907)

The type of dragon seen on this mirror, with its distinct features including the elongated, horned head, long neck, legs set wide apart, and tail wrapped around the left back leg, appears to be unique to the Tang dynasty. It can be seen on large mirrors which began to appear around the mid-8th century. Another larger (27.8 cm.) eight-lobed mirror finely cast with a similar dragon striding amidst vaporous clouds, but within a line border in the Donald H. Graham, Jr. Collection, is illustrated by Toru Nakano, Bronze Mirrors from Ancient China, Hong Kong, 1994, pp. 238-9, no. 89. As with the present mirror, the dragon's jaws are opened wide as if to grasp the central knob.