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Source Description
This mirror bears a large character of xi 囍 ("double happiness," as in a marriage) as its principal decoration. Below that, a smaller inscription in a rectangular frame establishes the mirror maker's identity. Tang Wanheng 湯萬亨 must have enjoyed a lucrative trade and sufficient renown to warrant the inclusion of his name on his products. It has been suggested that these mirrors were not so much made for reflective purposes as for ritualistic use during the marriage ceremony, hence the "double happiness" as its main decoration.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
159219
label
Mirror with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
159219
contentType
object
title
Mirror with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats
description
This mirror bears a large character of xi 囍 ("double happiness," as in a marriage) as its principal decoration. Below that, a smaller inscription in a rectangular frame establishes the mirror maker's identity. Tang Wanheng 湯萬亨 must have enjoyed a lucrative trade and sufficient renown to warrant the inclusion of his name on his products. It has been suggested that these mirrors were not so much made for reflective purposes as for ritualistic use during the marriage ceremony, hence the "double happiness" as its main decoration.
date
c. 1800
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79978499
creators
394810
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.); Overall: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.); Rim: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.)
cul
China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
accession
1995.401
Source extras
tec
brass
tombstone
Mirror with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats (雙喜五福帶柄鏡), c. 1800. Workshop of Tang Wanheng (Chinese, active c. 1800). Brass; diameter: 16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.); overall: 0.6 cm (1/4 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, 1995.401
titleInOriginalLanguage
雙喜五福帶柄鏡
collection
China - Qing Dynasty
inscriptions
inscription
雙喜， 湯萬亨
inscription_translation
double happiness; Tang Wanheng
didYouKnow
The five–bat design signals a wish for good fortune.
citations
citation
Chou, Ju-hsi. <em>Circles of reflection: the Carter collection of Chinese bronze mirrors</em>. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000.
page_number
Mentioned: cat. no. 92, pp. 95–96, 110, 126; Reproduced: pp. 8, 22, 95
citation
Ledes, Allison Eckardt. "Current and Coming" <em>Antiques</em>, (March 2002) pp. 28–30.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 28
creditline
Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:15:08.697000
sourceId
159219
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Qing Dynasty
med
brass
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
41b5cd677d001e3d