Bronze octafoil mirror. China, Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD).

An octafoil mirror decorated with a pair of Mandarin ducks and a pair of swans surrounding a central knob in the form of a crouching animal, the outer rim raised and border decorated with floral sprays.

The silvery colour is due to a high tin content in the bronze.

For a comparable mirror, see fig. 68, page 75 in Chou Ju-Hsi, Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors, The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000.

See also fig. 59, A. Soper, Chinese, Korean and Japanese Bronzes, Rome, 1966.

PROVENANCE: Private English collection. Acquired by the owner's father during employment with the British Foreign Service during the 1950s or 1960s.

Jonathan Tucker & Antonia Tozer. 37 Bury Street St James's SW1Y 6AU London - United Kingdom - Tel : 020 7839 3414 - Fax number : 020 7839 3415 - Email address : asianartresource@aol.com - Website : http://www.asianartresource.co.uk

The CMA"s mirror :

Octafoil Mirror with Riding Immortals and Rising Peaks, China, Tang dynasty (618-907) 600s. CMA 1995.344. Cleveland Museum of Art © the Cleveland Museum of Art www.clevelandart.org