Collection record · Everyday wonders
Mirror with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats
The collection record classifies this work as metalwork. It is dated c. 1800. Recorded culture or place: China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911).
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Mirror with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats
- Date
- c. 1800
- Culture / origin
- China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
- Materials and technique
- brass
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.); Overall: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.); Rim: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Tang Wanheng (Chinese, active c. 1800)
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1995.401
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
This mirror bears a large character of xi 囍 ("double happiness," as in a marriage) as its principal decoration. Below that, a smaller inscription in a rectangular frame establishes the mirror maker's identity. Tang Wanheng 湯萬亨 must have enjoyed a lucrative trade and sufficient renown to warrant the inclusion of his name on his products. It has been suggested that these mirrors were not so much made for reflective purposes as for ritualistic use during the marriage ceremony, hence the "double happiness" as its main decoration.
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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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