Inlays for a Mirror or Box
Unknown Artist
c. 900–1000
Medium
beaten silver with chased details
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.047,"width":0.084},"irregular":{"height":0.053,"width":0.084},"part 1":{"height":0.046,"width":0.084},"part 2":{"height":0.052,"width":0.078},"part 3":{"height":0.052,"width":0.056},"part 4":{"height":0.042,"width":0.061},"part 5":{"height":0.046,"width":0.052}}
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Eugene Victor Thaw
Accession Number
1969.78
About this artwork
The p'ing-t'o technique of inlaying gold and silver foil on lacquer produced luxurious articles of elegance and fragility. These stray silver inlays were originally mounted on a mirror back or a cosmetic box whose lacquered surface has disintegrated. They combine auspicious symbols of Indian and Chinese origin: human-headed birds whose melodies filled the Buddhist paradise, and bird-riding deities who inhabited the skies of Taoist mythology. Like these imaginary beings, the lions were probably p...