Lot 114. A bronze 'TLV' mirror, Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD); 8in (20.3cm) diam. Sold for US$1,912.50 (Estimate US$2,000-3,000). © Bonhams 2001-2023
Finely cast with concentric bands of mythical creatures, alternating raised bosses and 'L'- and 'V'-shaped patterns, the knob enclosed by quatrefoil petals within a double square and 'T'-shaped crowns, the wide rim flat and slightly raised, the reflective mirror side well-polished, the tin-rich bronze in silvery tone with scattered malachite incrustations
Note: Compare the bronze mirror of this size, decorated with closely related 'TLV' design, in the Qing Court Collection and now in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Reflections of the Emperor: The Collection and Culture of Mirrors at the Qing Court, Taipei, 2015, pp. 44-45, no. 1-12.
Compare also two bronze mirrors of this type, in the collection of the Nezu Museum, Tokyo, illustrated in Ancient Chinese Mirrors from the Murakami Collection, Tokyo, 2011, pp. 22-23, nos. 23-24.
Bonhams. CHINESE WORKS OF ART AND PAINTINGS, New York, March 20, 2023
