Cleveland Museum of Art

Mirror with 'Shan' (Mountain) Pattern

Date

200s BCE

Medium

bronze

Culture

China, probably State of Chu, possibly Hunan province, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 BCE), Warring States period (475–221 BCE)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Chinese mirror-casting achieved new elegance and precision with the technical development of stamped clay molds over which molten bronze was poured. A small rectangular unit of design was repeatedly stamped to create this background of curls and granulation, which resembles feather-covered textiles known from early tomb finds. The dominant pattern of slanting "T," pressed down upon the mold after the overall background stamps, corresponds to the modern Chinese character for shan (山 or mountain). Whether the pattern was symbolic or decorative during the Zhou Dynasty is unknown. The site of manufacture is probably south China, since many mirrors of this type have been excavated from tombs in that area.

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