Collection record · Everyday wonders
Octafoil-shaped Mirror Featuring Ci Fei, the Dragon Slayer
The collection record classifies this work as metalwork. It is dated 900s–1300s. Recorded culture or place: China, Jin dynasty (1115-1234) or Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918-1392).
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Octafoil-shaped Mirror Featuring Ci Fei, the Dragon Slayer
- Date
- 900s–1300s
- Culture / origin
- China, Jin dynasty (1115-1234) or Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918-1392)
- Materials and technique
- bronze
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 17.2 cm (6 3/4 in.); Overall: 1.1 cm (7/16 in.); Rim: 0.5 cm (3/16 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1995.376
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
The mythical hero Ci Fei and his victory during his travel through the Yangzi River is depicted on this eight-lobbed mirror. He raises his sword in order to attack sea monsters. On the top, a large inscription in seal script reads “Great and Resplendent is the Heaven.” The mirror is currently thought to be a Chinese work dating to the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). Recently published excavation reports, however, reveal that this particular type was exclusively unearthed from Korean tombs of the Goryeo period. Some Korean scholars speculate that this Chinese epic was appropriated to celebrate the Goryeo ruling house’s heroic ancestry and this type of mirror was widely distributed as a token of power among Goryeo elite class members.
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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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