The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 10, 2026

A silvery-gray bronze mirror, speckled with green oxidation, features a central dome-shaped knob within a square frame. Straight T, L, and V shapes decorate the surface alongside beasts and small raised bumps. A ring of stylized characters encircles these motifs. The design expands into concentric bands: first, a ring of sharp triangles, then a wide outer border of repeating, rhythmic swirling lines that ripple around the mirror's edge.

TLV Mirror with Multiple Nipples

9–23 CE

China, Xin dynasty

(9–23 CE)
bronze
Diameter: 16.9 cm (6 5/8 in.); Overall: 1.1 cm (7/16 in.); Rim: 0.5 cm (3/16 in.)
Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee 1995.298
Location: 241B Arts of Ancient China

Did You Know?

This mirror includes a poetic inscription that credits the immortals as protectors of the kingdom.

Description

The inscription in this mirror reads: A fine mirror it is, my making of it! I can show the ageless immortals up above. They wander over the earth and belittle the Four Oceans. They live as long as metal and stone, And are true protectors of our kingdom. These poetic lines suggest the reflective and magical qualities of the bronze mirror in the Chinese imagination. Besides reflecting the immortals, it illuminated the human soul so that it would be in tune with forces of yin and yang in Chinese cosmology.
  • ?-1995
    Dr. Thomas and Dr. Martha Carter, Madison, WI, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1995-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 1995-present
  • Chou, Ju-hsi. Circles of reflection: the Carter collection of Chinese bronze mirrors. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000. Reproduced: p. 17, cat. no. 28
  • Asian Games: The Art of Contest. The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (October 14, 2004-February 5, 2005); National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, DC (February 26-May 15, 2005).
    Asia Society Gallery, NY (10/14/2004 - 2/5/2005) and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Washington, DC (2/26/2005 - 5/15/2005): "Asian Games: The Art of Contest", exh. cat. no. 10:13, p. 123
    Madison, Wisconsin: Elvehjem Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison; December 20, 2003-February 29, 2004. "Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors".
    New York, New York: China Institute Gallery; February 6, 2002-June 2, 2002. "Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors".
    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).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; September 17-November 26, 2000. "Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors" exh. cat. no. 28, p. 45; pp. 106, 115; repr. p. 45, color repr. pl. 3, p. 17.
  • {{cite web|title=TLV Mirror with Multiple Nipples|url=false|author=|year=9–23 CE|access-date=10 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.298