Description
This mirror depicts Xiwangmu, Queen Mother of the West, and her husband, Dongwanggong, King Father of the East, surrounded by mythical figures and animals. One of the earliest and most powerful goddesses in the Daoist pantheon, Xiwangmu can be identified by her U-shaped crown. Legend says that the two deities meet once a year representing the meeting of yin and yang, the two forces that constitute the universe. This mirror shows a band of 14 squares around the center containing a long inscription.
Provenance
Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Bull (?–1983); (Sotheby's New York, NY. Important Chinese Works of Art: The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Bull. 6 December 1983 sale, Lot 8, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (December 6, 1983); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1983–)
Accession Number
1983.213
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
Diameter: 18.5 cm (7 5/16 in.)
Classification
Metalwork
Credit Line
The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
