id:			159182
accession number:	1995.369
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1995.369
updated:		2023-09-27 18:03:26.760000

Lobed Mirror with a Tortoise Knob, Musician, and Phoenix, late 700s. China, Tang dynasty (618-907). Bronze; diameter: 21.6 cm (8 1/2 in.); overall: 1.2 cm (1/2 in.); rim: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee 1995.369

title:				Lobed Mirror with a Tortoise Knob, Musician, and Phoenix
title in original language:	真子飛霜葵花鏡
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			late 700s
creation date earliest:		775
creation date latest:		799
current location:		003 Special Exhibition Hall
creditline:			Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee
copyright:			

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culture:	China, Tang dynasty (618-907)
technique:	bronze
department:	Chinese Art
collection:	China - Tang Dynasty
type:		Metalwork
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Diameter: 21.6 cm (8 1/2 in.); Overall: 1.2 cm (1/2 in.); Rim: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

	inscription:	鳳凰雙鏡南金裝。陰陽各為配，日月恒相會。白玉芙蓉匣，翠羽瓊瑤帶。同心人，心相親，照心照膽保千春。
	translation:	
	remark:		

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Circles of Reflection:  The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors
	opening date:   2000-09-17T00:00:00
	<i>Circles of Reflection:  The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17-November 26, 2000); China Institute Gallery, New York, NY (February 6-June 2, 2002); Elvehjem Museum of Art, Madison, WI (December 20, 2003-February 29, 2004).

	title:		China's Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta (Jiangnan)
	opening date:   2023-09-10T04:00:00
	<i>China's Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta (Jiangnan)</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10, 2023-January 7, 2024).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	Thomas and Martha Carter, Madison, WI,  given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: ?–1995
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 1995–
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact:
The imagery of this mirror includes a tiny turtle knob accompanied by a musician and phoenix.

digital description:


wall description:
The inscription on this mirror states it was one of a pair made of metals from the south, and placed in a jade box, perhaps alluding to a wedding gift. The meaning of its design is not entirely known, but may refer to the Daoist immortal Hou Jin, who played the <em>qin </em>(stringed instrument), understood the language of birds, and could make predictions based on the reflections on water. The motifs of the phoenix, the pond, and the qin may all refer to the quest for immortality.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Chou, Ju-hsi. <em>Circles of reflection: the Carter collection of Chinese bronze mirrors</em>. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000.
	page number: 	Reproduced: cat. no. 70, pp. 76-77, 109, 123
	url:		

	Wang, Eugene Y. "Mirror, Moon, and Memory in Eighth-Century China: From Dragon Pond to Lunar Palace." <em>Cleveland Studies in the History of Art </em>9 (2005): 42-67.
	page number: 	Mentioned and reproduced: P. 56, fig. 12
	url:		https://www.jstor.org/stable/20079751

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1995.369/1995.369_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1995.369/1995.369_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1995.369/1995.369_full.tif