Unknown
Chinese, Han dynasty
Mirror with TLV Design and Animals of the Four Directions, 2nd c. BCE-2nd c. CE
bronze
SBMA, Museum purchase with funds provided by Friends of Asian Art, Walter G. Silva, and an Anonymous Donor
1985.10
RESEARCH PAPER
The Bronze Age in China extended from approximately 2000 BCE to the Han dynasty (206 BCE to 22 CE). The innovations of metallurgy during the Han period established bronze casting as an integral part of Chinese art that continues to this day. The lost wax method of bronze casting was probably known in China as early as 1500 BCE. However, the earliest bronzes used an awkward method known as piece-mold casting in which a mold is made from a model. The mold is cut in sections, the sections fired, and then reassembled to form the mold for casting. One advantage of this process is the ability to carve or stamp designs directly on the mold before it is fired.
Many bronzes have been recovered from tombs and have been well preserved because the alkaline soil of China is favorable to the metal, creating a pleasant patina of green or blue-green. Throughout the centuries mirrors have been given as gifts and used as tribute to the emperors.
The earliest bronze mirror dates back to 2000 BCE and was excavated from a site in Gansu Province of northwest China. For many centuries mirrors were not popular, and only about 20 have been found from the early periods. However, during the Warring States period (480 to 221 BCE) a thinly cast mirror became an object of daily use by common people. The Han dynasty (206 BCE to 22 CE) introduced and mass produced what is called the TLV mirror, on which the symbols resemble the letters T, L, and V.
Chinese bronze mirrors are thin discs decorated with cast ornamentation on the back in low relief. A cord to hold the mirror is molded at the center of the back. The edge is usually thick and separated from the ornamentation by a wide, concave band. The Han dynasty mirror makers modified the traditional loop on the back with a pierced dome on heavier mirrors for the suspension cord. This created a slight convex curve to the surface, which formerly had been flat. It also necessitated a heavier rim, which was usually molded and decorated.
Early literature of the 7th century BCE refers to the custom of wearing a mirror hung from a girdle. In the 4th century BCE the mirror became a common funerary piece. Superstitious beliefs attached themselves to the mirror from the beginning. It was believed that the mirror reflected not only true forms but also spirits, which often assumed the human form in order to deceive. But in a mirror the spirit was unable to change its form. Thus, when entering the mountains the Taoist masters hung a mirror at least nine inches in diameter at their backs. This superstition is why mirrors are left in graves in order to help the dead distinguish good and bad spirits on their journey.
Many different types of inscriptions are found on the back of mirrors. In the 1st century BCE are found simple messages, such as “Wishes for Prosperity .” By the 2nd century CE Taoist mythology is used for decoration along with inscriptions for ways to prolong life and descriptions of those who had already found immortality. In the following century the mirrors bore inscriptions with praise for an individual, a poem, or well wishes, such as the following:
I have made a bright mirror, subtly refining the metal. The traditional rites are
figured here and joined with images of the myriad spirits. The hundred creatures
are vigorous and joyful, the host of spirits reveal their forms. May your years be
increased, your life prolonged. You riches and honors be multiplied.
The Chinese believed a virtuous nation was rewarded with good fortune; otherwise, it would be subject to natural disasters, the result of bad government and reason for the collapse of a dynasty. They created symbols for these cosmic beliefs, often called the “Mandate of Heaven.” The TLV mirror produced during the Han dynasty shows the earliest cosmological themes and inscriptions referring to the symbols of the heavens and the high Taoist gods. TLV is named for the shapes of the marks on the sides of the central square and on the inner edge of the rim. These may originally have represented the marks on a sun dial or the pattern of a game called “liu po.”
The T stands at the middle of the four sides of the central square, which represents the earth. The T is the sacred mountains that hold the heavens, which are represented by circles. The horizontal bar of the T is parallel to the leg of the L protruding from the outer edge of the main field, representing the outer edge of the world. The Vs are on the perimeter pointing to the corners of the square, the four directions.
Mirrors were the guardians of marital fidelity. The story tells of a married couple forced to separate. They broke a mirror, each keeping a half. The wife was unfaithful, and her half of the mirror turned into a magpie, which flew back to her husband and told of the infidelity. Hence, many mirrors are decorated with magpies to warn of potentially unfaithful spouses.
Other symbols often found on mirrors are the dragon, bird, tiger, and tortoise. These variously represent the Four Directions, Five Elements, or Four Seasons.
Mirrors of the T’ang dynasty (618 to 906 CE) were heavier, larger, and with higher relief than in previous dynasties. Many had gold wash and silver lining. A grape leaf motif appears, perhaps a product of Greek influence in a time of greater interaction with other lands.
Bibliography
Berling, Judith and Arthur H. Chinese Art. New York: Viking Press, Bonanza Book.
Schafer, Edward H. Ancient China. New York: Time-Life Books, 1976.
Watson, William. Ancient Chinese Bronzes. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1962.
WEB SITES
Bavarian, Behzad and Lisa Reiner. “Piece Mold, Lost Wax & Composite Casting Techniques of the Chinese Bronze Age,” College of Engineering and Computer Science, California State University, Northridge. (http://www.csun.edu/~bavarian/Badynasty/Chinese_Bronze_Casting%202006.pdf)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Department of Asian Art, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. “Shang and Zhou Dynasties: The Bronze Age of China.” (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shzh/hd_shzh.htm)
“Bronze Mirror”. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_mirror)
Prepared for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Docent Council by Carol A. Spears.
Supplemented, edited, and typed for the web site by Ralph Wilson.
SBMA CURATORIAL LABELS
Chinese Bronze Mirrors
Han-Song dynasties
(206 BCE - 1279 CE)
In ancient China, the surface of a bronze mirror was polished to reflect the face of the viewer. Believed to have the power to ward off evil spirits, bronze mirrors were also used as talismans in daily life and buried in tombs in the afterlife. The decorations on the backs of the mirrors are not purely ornamental, but were often designed to procure blessings of longevity for the living or to guide the soul of the deceased toward the realm of immortals. Some decorations convey moral or religious teachings while others show the ideal cosmic and social order of the universe. There are also inscriptions concerning the desire for success in life and harmony with cosmic forces. Both decoration and inscription reflect the particular beliefs, circumstance, and artistic preferences of their time.
Mirror with TLV Design and Animals of the Four Directions
The design reflects the principles of Chinese cosmology which envisioned a circular universe endowing a square earth. Between heaven and earth is the realm of immortals represented by the presence of a goose, bird, deer, and a feathered immortal. The markings resembling "T," "L," and "V" derive from the liubo board game and denote the cardinal directions of the universe and the four seasons. Looking into the polished side of the mirror, the viewer becomes an integral part of the cosmos and enters the realm of the immortals. The inscription on the inner band refers to the feather immortal depicted on the inner circle of the mirror:
Shangfang makes a fine mirror - what a master work!
Up above are the ageless immortals.
In thirst, they drink from the jade spring.
When hungry, they eat jujubes.
- Asian Gallery, 2012