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Source Description
TLV mirrors of the Han dynasty were named after the motifs resembling the letters T, L, and V. Their meaning relates to cosmology. A concentric band of characters around the central knob reads, <em>Good copper of the current Xin dynasty was mined at Danyang. / Mixed with white tin, the alloy is clear and bright. . . .</em><br><br>Danyang county in Jiangsu province was rich in metal resources. Mirrors mentioning Danyang were found in Zhejiang, Hubei, Henan, Hunan, and Shanxi provinces, which suggests their export beyond Jiangsu. Alternatively, competing mirror makers elsewhere could have used <em>Danyang</em> as an early type of branding.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
159099
label
TLV Mirror with Multiple Nipples
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
159099
contentType
object
title
TLV Mirror with Multiple Nipples
description
TLV mirrors of the Han dynasty were named after the motifs resembling the letters T, L, and V. Their meaning relates to cosmology. A concentric band of characters around the central knob reads, <em>Good copper of the current Xin dynasty was mined at Danyang. / Mixed with white tin, the alloy is clear and bright. . . .</em><br><br>Danyang county in Jiangsu province was rich in metal resources. Mirrors mentioning Danyang were found in Zhejiang, Hubei, Henan, Hunan, and Shanxi provinces, which suggests their export beyond Jiangsu. Alternatively, competing mirror makers elsewhere could have used <em>Danyang</em> as an early type of branding.
date
9–23 CE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79978171
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 16.3 cm (6 7/16 in.); Overall: 1.2 cm (1/2 in.); Rim: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.)
cul
China, Xin dynasty (9–23 CE)
accession
1995.295
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
TLV Mirror with Multiple Nipples (多乳博局式鏡), 9–23 CE. China, Xin dynasty (9–23 CE). Bronze; diameter: 16.3 cm (6 7/16 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, 1995.295
titleInOriginalLanguage
多乳博局式鏡
collection
China - Han Dynasty
inscriptions
inscription
新有善銅出丹陽，
和以銀錫青且明。
左龍右虎主四澎（旁）
八子。
inscription_translation
Inscription:
a) Inner band:
b) Outer band:
"During this Xin dynasty, good copper is being mined at Danyang./ Mixed with silver and tin, the alloy is clear and bright./ The dragon at left and tiger at right:/ They govern the four directions./ Your eight sons [and nine grandsons will take the center].
sortorder
1
citations
citation
Chou, Ju-hsi. <em>Circles of reflection: the Carter collection of Chinese bronze mirrors</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000.
page_number
Reproduced: cat. no. 27, pp. 44–45, 106, 114
citation
Griswold, William, Xiaofei Tian, Richard Von Glahn, Feng Zhao, S. J. Vainker, Masaaki Itakura, Jiang Wu, et al. <em>China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta</em>. Edited by Clarissa Von Spee. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 104, no. 12
creditline
Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:14:17.945000
sourceId
159099
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Han Dynasty
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
48227e18ba4819e7