The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

TLV Mirror with Multiple Nipples

9–23 CE

China, Xin dynasty

(9–23 CE)
bronze
Diameter: 16.3 cm (6 7/16 in.); Overall: 1.2 cm (1/2 in.); Rim: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.)
Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee 1995.295
Location: Not on view

Description

TLV mirrors of the Han dynasty were named after the motifs resembling the letters T, L, and V. Their meaning relates to cosmology. A concentric band of characters around the central knob reads, Good copper of the current Xin dynasty was mined at Danyang. / Mixed with white tin, the alloy is clear and bright. . . .

Danyang county in Jiangsu province was rich in metal resources. Mirrors mentioning Danyang were found in Zhejiang, Hubei, Henan, Hunan, and Shanxi provinces, which suggests their export beyond Jiangsu. Alternatively, competing mirror makers elsewhere could have used Danyang as an early type of branding.
  • ?–1995
    Thomas and Martha Carter, Madison, WI, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1995–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Chou, Ju-hsi. Circles of reflection: the Carter collection of Chinese bronze mirrors. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000. Reproduced: cat. no. 27, pp. 44–45, 106, 114
    Griswold, William, Xiaofei Tian, Richard Von Glahn, Feng Zhao, S. J. Vainker, Masaaki Itakura, Jiang Wu, et al. China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. Edited by Clarissa Von Spee. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 104, no. 12
  • China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10, 2023-January 7, 2024).
    Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17-November 26, 2000); China Institute in America, New York, NY (February 6-June 2, 2002); Elvehjem Museum of Art, Madison, WI (December 20, 2003-February 29, 2004).
  • {{cite web|title=TLV Mirror with Multiple Nipples|url=false|author=|year=9–23 CE|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.295