A silvery bronze circular mirror with two carps. Jin dynasty  (1115-1234) . Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2012 

Heavily cast in high relief with two carp swimming atop a ground of waves, their large twisting bodies filling almost the entire space surrounding the knob, the rim inscribed with four characters, Tiancheng; 7 5/8 in. (19.3 cm.) diam., 5/16 in. (.9 cm.) thick, box  - 1758.8g . Estimate $10,000 - $15,000

金 雙鯉紋鍍銀銅鏡

Provenance: Robert H. Ellsworth Collection, New York, acquired in Hong Kong, 1989.

Notes: Compare the related mirror of comparable size illustrated in Ancient Bronze Mirrors from the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2005, pp. 350-1, no. 136. The knob on the Shanghai mirror centers a flower head and the two carp are set farther away from the knob, and the line of their lower body is straight creating an almost square area around the knob. The fish on the present mirror appear more naturalistic in their twisting movement and outline. See, also, the similar mirror illustrated by Ju-hsi Chou in Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors, The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000, p. 89, no. 86, where the author notes that mirrors of this type are prevalent in "northern provinces such as Jilin, Hebei, Shaanxi and Henan." He also mentions that the twin fish motif is typical during the Jin dynasty, and was probably based on the same design on Song dynasty mirrors.  

Christie's. Luminous Perfection: Fine Chinese Mirrors from the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection, 22 March 2012, New York, Rockefeller Plaza