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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.
Page data
- Page
- 1
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- 3c6fb1cfb430de0b
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 3662
- Core
- obj
- Type
- object
DTO data
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"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.",
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Document identity
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Document source metadata
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"provenance": "Laurance and Isabel Roberts, Baltimore, Maryland., 1933, by purchase [from a dealer in Peking, name unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1995, by gift.",
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Document source extras
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Page context
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