TLV Mirror with Multiple Nipples
Unknown Artist
9–23 CE
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
h. 1.1 cm · diam. 16.9 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
1995.298
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The inscription in this mirror reads: A fine mirror it is, my making of it! I can show the ageless immortals up above. They wander over the earth and belittle the Four Oceans. They live as long as metal and stone, And are true protectors of our kingdom. These poetic lines suggest the reflective and magical qualities of the bronze mirror in the Chinese imagination. Besides reflecting the immortals, it illuminated the human soul so that it would be in tune with forces of yin and yang in Chinese co...