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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2010.556
Title
Circular Mirror with High Rim and Decoration of Two Cranes in Flight and Stylized Pine-Needle Clusters, the Central Boss in the Form of a Tortoise
Classification
Mirrors
Work Type
mirror
Date
probably 17th century
Period
Edo period, 1615-1868
Culture
Japanese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/336955

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Cast bronze
Dimensions
Diam. 11.4 x H. 1 cm (4 1/2 x 3/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[through ?, Japan, mid 1960s], sold; to Jerry Lee Musslewhite (mid 1960s-2009); to Estate of Jerry Lee Musslewhite (2009-2010), sold; to Harvard Art Museums, 2010.

NOTE: Jerry Lee Musslewhite was an employee of the U.S. Department of Defense who worked in the Republic of Korea from 1965 to 1969 and often traveled to Japan.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Purchase through the generosity of Alan J. and Suzanne W. Dworsky
Accession Year
2010
Object Number
2010.556
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
A well-articulated, relief lip encircles the periphery of this circular mirror, whose decorated back features three concentric rings of stylized pine-needle clusters. The outside ring includes twenty-two pine-needle clusters; separated from the outer ring by a single, raised bowstring line, the middle ring includes sixteen clusters; the inner ring, which is interrupted by a design of two cranes in flight, includes just seven clusters. The beaks of the two facing cranes touch just above the head of the striding tortoise, depicted from above, that serves as the mirror's central boss (from which a silk cord would have been attached for holding the mirror or for attaching it to a mirror stand). The mirror's reflecting face is flat and undecorated. The mirror, which is very heavy for its size, was cast with a bronze alloy rich in tin, so that the metal appears sliver in color. It lacks any patina.

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