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Source Description
From ancient times, a mirror assumed various roles; a ritualistic tool, a diplomatic gift, and a luxury commodity. During the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), which saw the great advancement of metallurgy, the royal court was the center of distributing sophisticated bronze artifacts. According to historical records, on the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, the king bestowed a bronze mirror inscribed with auspicious symbols upon each court official as part of a ceremony to celebrate the Day of Humans. This explains why a large quantity of bronze mirrors were excavated from elite tombs.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
98052
label
Flower-Shaped Mirror
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
98052
contentType
object
title
Flower-Shaped Mirror
description
From ancient times, a mirror assumed various roles; a ritualistic tool, a diplomatic gift, and a luxury commodity. During the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), which saw the great advancement of metallurgy, the royal court was the center of distributing sophisticated bronze artifacts. According to historical records, on the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, the king bestowed a bronze mirror inscribed with auspicious symbols upon each court official as part of a ceremony to celebrate the Day of Humans. This explains why a large quantity of bronze mirrors were excavated from elite tombs.
date
1100s–1200s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79483176
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 9.2 x 0.6 cm (3 5/8 x 1/4 in.)
cul
Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
accession
1917.678
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Flower-Shaped Mirror (청동 꽃모양 거울 [銅製花形鏡]), 1100s–1200s. Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). Bronze; overall: 9.2 x 0.6 cm (3 5/8 x 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of D. Z. Norton, 1917.678
titleInOriginalLanguage
청동 꽃모양 거울 [銅製花形鏡]
collection
Korean Art
formerAccessionNumbers
347.1917
didYouKnow
Due to its origin as an important tool in religion and politics, mirrors are often mentioned in many Korean proverbs that warn certain behaviors.
citations
citation
"Accessions." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 4, no. 4 (1917): 64–67.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 65
citation
<em>Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392</em>. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
citation
Horlyck Charlotte. "The Eternal Link: Grave Goods of the Koryŏ Kingdom (918-1392 CE)."<em> Ars Orientalis</em>, no. 44 (2014): 156–179.
citation
<em>Bronze in Life and Art</em> [삶과 예술 속. 청동 靑銅 이야기] National Cheongju Museum (2016).
citation
<em>Goryeo: The Glory of Korea </em>[대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.
citation
Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, and 국외소재문화재재단. <em>The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Edited by An Min-hŭi. First edition, English ed. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Series, 16. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2021.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 121, no. 87
creditline
Gift of D. Z. Norton
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:17:44.194000
sourceId
98052
dept
Korean Art
coll
Korean Art
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
65100aad4595ebe1