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Source Description
Decorated with historic figures from the former states of Wu and Yue, this mirror illustrates the rivalry between the states of Wu (around the Lake Tai basin) and Yue (around Hangzhou Bay) that eventually resulted in the defeat of Wu in 473 BCE. Its downfall became a story retold during the Han dynasty on mirrors from the Shaoxing era. <br><br>During the relatively peaceful Han dynasty, the number of bronze mirrors used in burials and as gifts increased, as less metal was used for weaponry. Previously known for sword making and having rich metal resources, places like Shaoxing in Zhejiang province became centers of mirror production.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
159141
label
Mirror with Deities and Kings
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
159141
contentType
object
title
Mirror with Deities and Kings
description
Decorated with historic figures from the former states of Wu and Yue, this mirror illustrates the rivalry between the states of Wu (around the Lake Tai basin) and Yue (around Hangzhou Bay) that eventually resulted in the defeat of Wu in 473 BCE. Its downfall became a story retold during the Han dynasty on mirrors from the Shaoxing era. <br><br>During the relatively peaceful Han dynasty, the number of bronze mirrors used in burials and as gifts increased, as less metal was used for weaponry. Previously known for sword making and having rich metal resources, places like Shaoxing in Zhejiang province became centers of mirror production.
date
100s CE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79978284
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 19.5 cm (7 11/16 in.); Overall: 1.9 cm (3/4 in.); Rim: 1 cm (3/8 in.)
cul
China, Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE)
accession
1995.331
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Mirror with Deities and Kings (畫像鏡), 100s CE. China, Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE). Bronze; diameter: 19.5 cm (7 11/16 in.); overall: 1.9 cm (3/4 in.); rim: 1 cm (3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee, 1995.331
titleInOriginalLanguage
畫像鏡
collection
China - Han Dynasty
inscriptions
inscription
Queen Mother; King Father
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. 32, pp. 48, 107, 119
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. 105, no. 13
creditline
Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:14:35.364000
sourceId
159141
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Han Dynasty
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
f73aa63cf1376351