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TLV Mirror with Multiple Nipples — China, Xin dynasty (9–23 CE)

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Written by: Lucas HughesContributing Writer · Furniture & Decorative Arts
Asian Art · Catalogue no. 6313
China, Xin dynasty (9–23 CE)

TLV Mirror with Multiple Nipples

StatusReference work · Not for sale
Held byCleveland Museum of Art
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The inscription in this mirror reads: A fine mirror it is, my making of it! I can show the ageless immortals up above. They wander over the earth and belittle the Four Oceans. They live as long as metal and stone, And are true protectors of our kingdom. These poetic lines suggest the reflective and magical qualities of the bronze mirror in the Chinese imagination. Besides reflecting the immortals, it illuminated the human soul so that it would be in tune with forces of yin and yang in Chinese cosmology.

Artist / MakerChina, Xin dynasty (9–23 CE)
Date9–23 CE
Culture / OriginChina, Xin dynasty (9–23 CE)
Mediumbronze
DimensionsDiameter: 16.9 cm (6 5/8 in.); Overall: 1.1 cm (7/16 in.); Rim: 0.5 cm (3/16 in.)
DepartmentChinese Art
TypeMetalwork
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Provenance & Source

Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.

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