The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 24, 2024

Octafoil Mirror with Hunters and Prey

Octafoil Mirror with Hunters and Prey

late 600s–early 700s
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Four stylized mountains in diminutive scale represent the cardinal directions around the animal-shaped knob at the center of the mirror.

Description

Corrosion has covered this mirror's surface with an uneven layer of green patination. Otherwise, this medium-sized mirror is strong in impact and dynamic in movement. The border arrangement is typical, with eight compartments for four types of decoration arranged in pairs across the same axis. Other than the cloud scrolls, which have been radically transformed so as to be almost unrecognizable, the rest are fine portrayals of insects and plants—a typical arrangement for Tang mirrors, perhaps of the eighth century.

The chief focus, of course, lies in the inner circle, which has gained in size and dimension. At its center is a crouching beast. Action is most apparent in the sequence of the hunt, with hunters on horses, shooting with bow and arrow at the prey, or carrying a long lance for the attack. The prey includes bear, deer, rabbit, and boar—their size and pose being sufficiently varied. The insistence on horror vacui (fear of empty spaces) is apparent; wherever the likelihood of a vacant space exists, the maker of the mirror has inserted a plant to fill the void. The result is a fast-paced whirling motion that never ends.
  • ?–1995
    Drs. 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, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000. Reproduced: cat. no. 63, pp. 71, 109, 123
    Yen, Chuan-Ying. "The Decorative Motifs on Tang Dynasty Mirrors." Cleveland Studies in the History of Art 9 (2005): 1-23. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 8, fig. 16 www.jstor.org
  • China through the Magnifying Glass: Masterpieces in Miniature and Detail. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 11, 2022-February 26, 2023).
    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 Gallery, New York, NY (February 6-June 2, 2002); Elvehjem Museum of Art, Madison, WI (December 20, 2003-February 29, 2004).
  • {{cite web|title=Octafoil Mirror with Hunters and Prey|url=false|author=|year=late 600s–early 700s|access-date=24 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.365