Skip to Main Content

Octafoil Mirror with Lunar Palace

月宮鏡

early 1100s–mid-1200s
(1115-1234)
bronze
Diameter: 21.3 cm (8 3/8 in.); Overall: 0.9 cm (3/8 in.); Rim: 0.8 cm (5/16 in.)
Weight: 954 g (2.1 lbs.)
Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee 1995.375
Location: not on view
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Description

Bronze mirrors typically have one polished and one decorated side and were used in tombs for ritual purpose or served as disks for reflection. This mirror depicts the imagined scene of the moon in Chinese mythology. Legend says that the goddess Chang E consumed the elixir of immortality that she stole from her husband, the archer Yi, and flew to the moon. Chang E’s palace, the Broad Cold Palace (Guanghan gong) on the left side of the composition, is juxtaposed with a tall pine tree symbolizing longevity. A rabbit and a toad, both creatures believed to live on the moon, can be seen in the center.
Octafoil Mirror with Lunar Palace

Octafoil Mirror with Lunar Palace

early 1100s–mid-1200s

China, Jin dynasty (1115-1234)

See Also

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.