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Source Description
In Chinese cosmology, the universe may be represented as geometric shapes. The circle shape of the mirror itself designates the heavens, and the square in the center represents the earth, with the central knob as the axis that connects earthly and heavenly realms. The four upside-down T-shaped motifs may be read as the Chinese character for “mountain” (shan), symbolizing the mountains that demarcate the boundaries of the earth.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
3662
label
Mirror with Four ""Mountain” Characters
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
3662
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Mirror with Four ""Mountain” Characters
description
In Chinese cosmology, the universe may be represented as geometric shapes. The circle shape of the mirror itself designates the heavens, and the square in the center represents the earth, with the central knob as the axis that connects earthly and heavenly realms. The four upside-down T-shaped motifs may be read as the Chinese character for “mountain” (shan), symbolizing the mountains that demarcate the boundaries of the earth.
provenance
Laurance and Isabel Roberts, Baltimore, Maryland., 1933, by purchase [from a dealer in Peking, name unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1995, by gift.
date
3rd–2nd century BCE
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Metal
mirrors
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diam: 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm)
Source extras
cul
Chinese
med
bronze
creator_ids
6238
collection_ids
CHN
exhibition_ids
none
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
3c6fb1cfb430de0b