Chinese / Mirror / Tang period, c. 8th century

Chinese
Mirror
Tang period, c. 8th century
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Creator Nationality: Asian; Far East Asian; Chinese
Creator Name-CRT: Chinese
Title: Mirror
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 700
Creation End Date: 799
Creation Date: Tang period, c. 8th century
Creation Place: North China, reportedly found in Henan Province
Object Type: Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Classification Term: Metalwork
Materials and Techniques: Bronze with gold and silver inlays in lacquer
Dimensions: H. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm); W. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm)
AMICA Contributor: Asia Society
Owner Location: New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 1979.119
Credit Line: Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection
Rights: http://www.asiasociety.org
Context: Although gold and silver in the form of hammered fragments had been used as inlay on bronzes as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties (c. 1700-221 BCE), during the subsequent Han and Northern and Southern dynasties these metals were only occasionally used for jewelry and other types of ornament. It was not until the Tang dynasty (618-906) that a large number of functional objects made of or decorated with gold and silver were made. This bronze mirror is an example of Tang metalwork. Cut from individual pieces of gold and silver foil, the birds, flowers, insects, plants, and decorative motifs that embellish the back were inlaid into a lacquer base and then covered with an additional layer of lacquer to keep them in place. While this method of inlaying can be traced to the Han period (206 BCE-CE 220), the plants and birds in this design are typically Tang.
Related Document Description: Asia Society. Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection. New York: Asia Society, [1981], p. 56.
Related Document Description: Lee, Sherman E. Asian Art: Selections from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd--Part II. New York: Asia Society, 1975, pp. 39, 95, 96.
AMICA ID: ASIA.1979.119
AMICA Library Year: 1998
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright, Asia Society

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