The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 10, 2026

A circular bronze mirror features a dark brown tassel at its center. Below, two cranes stand facing each other, flanked by a short fence and two dragonflies. Raised chrysanthemum blossoms fill the center and create a wide border. Stylized waves ripple along the bottom edge. Greenish oxidation appears across the textured, patinated surface, accentuating the relief of the birds, flowers, and insect motifs.

Mirror with Pair of Cranes in Chrysanthemum

1400–1573

Japan, Muromachi period

(1392–1573)
bronze
Diameter: 11.3 cm (4 7/16 in.)
Gift of D. Z. Norton 1917.646
Location: Not on view

Description

The Japanese used chrysanthemums as decorative elements on mirrors. In the Heian period, a chrysanthemum with cranes or long-tailed birds was a common motif. Later, in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, chrysanthemum designs were divided into three patterns with different symbolic associations: Chrysanthemum with Cranes represented longevity; Water Flowing suggested longevity as well as the Noh drama Kikujido, or Chrysanthemum Boy; and East Fence alluded to the poem "Drinking Wine" by Tao Yuanming (AD 365-427). Here, the mirror featuring Buddhist iconography (kyojo) and a chrysanthemum design on the back shows that the flower was also appreciated in the context of Buddhism in the Kamakura period.
  • (Yamanaka and Co.)
  • "Accessions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 4, no. 4 (1917): 64-67. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25136092 www.jstor.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Sŏn Sŭng-hye. The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 57-58, no. 35
  • The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 15-August 21, 2011).
  • {{cite web|title=Mirror with Pair of Cranes in Chrysanthemum|url=false|author=|year=1400–1573|access-date=10 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1917.646