Mirror with symbols of the four cardinal directions, Sui (581–618)–Tang (618–907) dynasty, 7th century. Bronze. Diam. 20 cm. Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions Fund for Asian Art, 2022, 2022.151. © 2000–2024 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The four mythological creatures depicted on the back of this mirror refer to symbols of the cardinal directions: the blue dragon of the east, the white tiger of the west, the red bird of the south, and the dark entwined snake and tortoise of the north. These associations emerged in Chinese cosmology around the third century BCE and became firmly established in the following centuries. A long inscription encircling the animals, elegantly calligraphed in relief, illustrates a critical phase in the development of Chinese writing, when the regular script attained its standard form. The text appears to reference an important historical moment when the Sui dynasty claimed to have ushered in an era equivalent to the legendary realm of the immortals.