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Source Description
Depicted on the mirror back are two Daoist deities: the King Father of the East (Dongwanggong) and the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu). Completing the design are the White Tiger of the west (one the Four Spirits representing the four cardinal directions, including the Green Dragon of the east, the Red Bird of the south, and the Dark Warrior of the north) and a chariot drawn by three horses. The reason for the redundancy of two symbolic images relating to the west is not known.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
159142
label
Mirror with Deities, Chariot, and the White Tiger
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
159142
contentType
object
title
Mirror with Deities, Chariot, and the White Tiger
description
Depicted on the mirror back are two Daoist deities: the King Father of the East (Dongwanggong) and the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu). Completing the design are the White Tiger of the west (one the Four Spirits representing the four cardinal directions, including the Green Dragon of the east, the Red Bird of the south, and the Dark Warrior of the north) and a chariot drawn by three horses. The reason for the redundancy of two symbolic images relating to the west is not known.
date
100–200 CE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60745579
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 18.3 cm (7 3/16 in.); Overall: 1.7 cm (11/16 in.); Rim: 0.9 cm (3/8 in.)
cul
China, Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE)
accession
1995.332
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Mirror with Deities, Chariot, and the White Tiger (書畫鏡), 100–200 CE. China, Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE). Bronze; diameter: 18.3 cm (7 3/16 in.); overall: 1.7 cm (11/16 in.); rim: 0.9 cm (3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee, 1995.332
titleInOriginalLanguage
書畫鏡
collection
China - Han Dynasty
didYouKnow
The meaning of the complex imagery on this mirror's back is not fully understood.
citations
citation
Chou, Ju-hsi. <em>Circles of reflection: the Carter collection of Chinese bronze mirrors</em>. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000.
page_number
Reproduced: cat. no. 33, pp. 48-49, 107, 119
creditline
Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee
updatedAt
2026-06-17 11:19:44.959000
sourceId
159142
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Han Dynasty
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
1c4ef7abae5d758a