The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 27, 2024
Mirror Stand in the Shape of a Djeiran
mid 1600s-early 1900s
(1644-1911)
Overall: 10.6 x 21.2 cm (4 3/16 x 8 3/8 in.)
Location: not on view
Description
This mirror stand is the in shape of a recumbent djeiran, or Central Asian antelope. Commonly appearing on Sogdian silver from the 600s onward, the djeiran motif migrated via the trade routes to northern China. There, during the Jin and Yuan (1279–1368) dynasties, it was very popular and always depicted with the moon supported by clouds. Chinese writers often identify the djeiran as the mythical rhinoceros (xi'niu) that is said to gaze at the moon, or as the cow of Wu "panting upon seeing the moon." When the stand originally held a mirror, the animal would appear to be looking at the moon.- ?-1995Thomas and Martha Carter, Madison, WI, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art1995-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. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. pp. 109, 125
- 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=Mirror Stand in the Shape of a Djeiran|url=false|author=|year=mid 1600s-early 1900s|access-date=27 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.385