Collection record · Everyday wonders
Mirror with Three Pairs of Bixie around a Loti-form Knob
The collection record classifies this work as metalwork. It is dated mid-600s. Recorded culture or place: China, Tang dynasty (618-907).
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Mirror with Three Pairs of Bixie around a Loti-form Knob
- Date
- mid-600s
- Culture / origin
- China, Tang dynasty (618-907)
- Materials and technique
- bronze
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 17.6 cm (6 15/16 in.); Overall: 1.5 cm (9/16 in.); Rim: 1.3 cm (1/2 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1995.335
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
The casting of this mirror is precise. The central knob is surrounded by 16 petals to assume the appearance of a lotus blossom. In the inner circle, the three pairs of bixie, mythological animals, are displayed in fuller relief and sense of organic coordination than animals in earlier Sui period mirrors, which are slender in proportion and lissome in appearance. The outer circle has a poetic inscription:
The spirit merges with the forms that are being wrought. The lustrous metal matches the exquisite craftsmanship. Like a pearl, it emerges from the container box— A virtual moon suspended in the firmament. [It enables] the lady to draw her eyebrows And apply rouge to her face. Even those elegant windows and the embroidered curtains: Can all be reflected within.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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