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. Tight spirals and triangles that form the ground pattern of this mirror are distinctive to south-central and southern China. These fanciful configurations seem to have been inspired by painted lacquers and embroidered and woven textiles distinctive to that area, which was occupied by the Kingdom of Chu.

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