Mirror with Three Pairs of Bixie around a Loti-form Knob

Description

The casting of this mirror is precise. The central knob is surrounded by 16 petals to assume the appearance of a lotus blossom. In the inner circle, the three pairs of bixie, mythological animals, are displayed in fuller relief and sense of organic coordination than animals in earlier Sui period mirrors, which are slender in proportion and lissome in appearance. The outer circle has a poetic inscription:

The spirit merges with the forms that are being wrought. The lustrous metal matches the exquisite craftsmanship. Like a pearl, it emerges from the container box—
A virtual moon suspended in the firmament. [It enables] the lady to draw her eyebrows And apply rouge to her face. Even those elegant windows and the embroidered curtains: Can all be reflected within.

Provenance

Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter, Madison, WI, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1995); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1995–)

Mirror with Three Pairs of Bixie around a Loti-form Knob

[]

mid-600s

Accession Number

1995.335

Medium

bronze

Dimensions

Diameter: 17.6 cm (6 15/16 in.); Overall: 1.5 cm (9/16 in.); Rim: 1.3 cm (1/2 in.)

Classification

Metalwork

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee