Art Institute of Chicago

Mirror with Dragon Arabesques

China

Date

Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period or early Western Han dynasty, 3rd/2nd century B.C.

Medium

Bronze

Culture

China

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The mirror in ancient China, usually held by hand with a cord, was a thin bronze disk with one face polished to a reflective sheen. The backs of mirrors were cast with elegant and dynamic designs that often reflect then-contemporary textile designs. The ground of interlocking T's on this mirror is known from textile finds as well as from impressions of deteriorated fabrics preserved in the surface corrosion of bronzes. Superimposed on, and contrasting with, this rectangular ground are flowing dragon- and bird-headed figures reminiscent of those seen in embroidered designs. The interplay of lines and curves is characteristic of the decorative art of the third and second centuries B.C.

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