Mirror with Three Pairs of Bixie around a Loti-form Knob
Unknown Artist
mid-600s
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
h. 1.5 cm · diam. 17.6 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
1995.335
About this artwork
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 exqu...