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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 seventhth 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 buried in elite tombs.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
98054
label
Mirror
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
98054
contentType
object
title
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 seventhth 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 buried in elite tombs.
date
918–1392
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79483188
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 8.2 cm (3 1/4 in.)
cul
Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
accession
1917.68
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Mirror (청동 거울 [銅鏡]), 918–1392. Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). Bronze; diameter: 8.2 cm (3 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of D. Z. Norton, 1917.680
titleInOriginalLanguage
청동 거울 [銅鏡]
collection
Korean Art
formerAccessionNumbers
349.1917
didYouKnow
Due to its origin as an important tool in religion and politics, mirrors are often mentioned in many Korean proverbs that warn about 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
Choi, Eung-chon. “Craftsmen in Metal Arts in the Goryeo Dynasty [고려시대 金屬工藝의 匠人].” <em>Misulsahak yeongu</em> (2004): 171–192.
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. 120, no. 85
creditline
Gift of D. Z. Norton
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:17:43.936000
sourceId
98054
dept
Korean Art
coll
Korean Art
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
3bc0b1ce859d2a19