Mirror with a Coiling Dragon
Unknown Artist
700s
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
h. 1.1 cm · diam. 10.2 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee
Accession Number
1995.367
About this artwork
Cast in high-tin and low-lead bronze by the lost wax method, this mirror has a dark and lustrous patina known as heiqigu (literally, “black lacquer antique”). It bears a design of a coiling dragon among trailing clouds. With a small, elongated head connecting to an S-curve of the neck that is as sinuous as the body and tail, the dragon of the Tang period is unique.