The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 25, 2024

Mirror with Pair of Cranes in Chrysanthemum Pattern

Mirror with Pair of Cranes in Chrysanthemum Pattern

1392–1573
Diameter: 11.8 cm (4 5/8 in.)
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. Mentioned: p. 65 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. 38
  • The Lure of Painted Poetry: Cross-cultural Text and Image in Korean and Japanese Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 15-August 21, 2011).
  • {{cite web|title=Mirror with Pair of Cranes in Chrysanthemum Pattern|url=false|author=|year=1392–1573|access-date=25 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1917.656