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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2010.435
Title
Circular Mirror with Decoration of Concentric Circles, Linked Arcs, and Quatrefoil
Classification
Mirrors
Work Type
mirror
Date
late 1st century
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Han dynasty, Eastern Han period, 25-220 CE
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/315416

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Cast bronze
Dimensions
Diam. 19.6 cm (7 11/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Edmund Lin (1928-2006; Professor, Harvard Medical School), Boston; by bequest to the Harvard Art Museum

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Edmund Chi Chien Lin
Accession Year
2010
Object Number
2010.435
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
This circular bronze mirror has a wide, flat, unembellished rim that leads into a slightly sunken decorative band of short, radiating lines and concentric circles. Within this decorative band are eight linked arcs in slight relief. The linked arcs form an eight-pointed star that surrounds a ring and quatrefoil. There is a large hemispherical knob at the center. A four-character inscription incorporated into four points of the eight-pointed star read: "Shou Ru Jin Shi" [May you have a life as long as metal and stone]. Another four-character inscription incorporated into the spaces between the quatrefoil reads: "Chang Yi Zi Sun" [May your sons and grandsons cherish this for a long time.] The reflecting side of the mirror has been cleaned, but within the patina that remains there is some evidence of textile remains.

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu