Object Details
Description
Mirror. Surface: bright silvery patina with patches of green aerugo and earthy incrustation. Decoration: in relief, with additions of green and red color in central medallion. Inscription.
Inscriptions
36-character inscription, in Chinese:
The simurgh startled as her reflection becomes visible; the sun's dazzling radiance opens up.
Coiled (as it is), (I suspect a jade disk (pi) revolving; moon (like), it resembles a wheel returning.
Coiled (as it is), (I suspect a jade disk (pi) revolving; moon (like), it resembles a wheel returning.
Label
The bronze has the bright silvery color associated with Sui and Tang mirrors. The inscription is a poem of thirty-six graphs, a rhymed riddle for which the answer is "mirror." It praises the mirror for its beauty, compares it to the moon, and refers to the legendary mirror of the first emperor of the Qin dynasty, which exposed unfaithful concubines. The content of the inscription shows the increase of secular subjects on mirrors of the Sui and Tang.
Provenance
1930
Yamanaka and Company, New York 1930 [1]
From 1930
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Yamanaka and Company, New York in 1930 [2]
Notes:
[1] Object file, undated folder sheet. Also see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.
[2] See note 1.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
Personal Luxuries in Early China (July 7, 1998 to January 3, 2016)
Chinese Art (February 18, 1983 to April 1, 1987)
Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)
Chinese Bronze, Jade, Metalwork (March 1, 1957 to January 1, 1963)
Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 14 and 15 (February 25, 1956 to March 1, 1957)
Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Metalwork and Painting, East Corridor (February 15, 1955 to August 26, 1955)
Special Mirror Exhibition (November 16, 1954 to February 25, 1955)
Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Art, 1946 (May 7, 1946 to February 25, 1956)
Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Metalwork, Pottery, and Painting (March 23, 1944 to May 2, 1946)
Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1944 (November 15, 1944 to May 6, 1946)
Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting and Metalwork, 1943 (October 4, 1943 to March 23, 1944)
Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Metalwork (March 14, 1931 to March 22, 1943)
Untitled Exhibition, Shahnama and Chinese Art (March 24, 1930 to May 5, 1933)
Previous custodian or owner
Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965)
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Date
581-618
Period
Sui dynasty
Accession Number
F1930.37
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Mirror
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
Diam x D: 19.3 x 1.5 cm (7 5/8 x 9/16 in)
Origin
China
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
casting
metal
bronze
Sui dynasty (581 - 618)
cat
China
Chinese Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1930.37