Cleveland Museum of Art

Octafoil Mirror with Lunar Palace

Date: early 1100s–mid-1200s
Medium: bronze
Culture: China, Jin dynasty (1115–1234)
Department: Chinese Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art

Bronze mirrors typically have one polished and one decorated side and were used in tombs for ritual purpose or served as disks for reflection. This mirror depicts the imagined scene of the moon in Chinese mythology. Legend says that the goddess Chang E consumed the elixir of immortality that she stole from her husband, the archer Yi, and flew to the moon. Chang E’s palace, the Broad Cold Palace ( Guanghan gong ) on the left side of the composition, is juxtaposed with a tall pine tree symbolizing longevity. A rabbit and a toad, both creatures believed to live on the moon, can be seen in the center.

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