The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of January 27, 2020

Mirror with a Pair of Phoenixes

雙鳳鏡

1100s

China, Song dynasty

(960-1279)

Bronze

Diameter: 35.1 cm (13 13/16 in.); Overall: 1.3 cm (1/2 in.); Rim: 0.8 cm (5/16 in.)

Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee 1995.389

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

A union of male and female birds, the phoenix often symbolizes the yin and yang of Chinese philosophy, which equates to universal balance and harmony.

Description

This exceptionally large bronze mirror features magnificently long-tailed phoenixes with cloud scrolls, motifs that can also be seen on the silk boots nearby. While the mirror, according to its inscription Zhang Zhigao from Jinling (Nanjing) was made in southeast China, the boots were made in the northern part of China then occupied by the Khitan people. The inscription is placed to the right of the mirror’s central knob. Mirrors typically have one polished and one decorated side and were used in part in tombs for ritual purpose or served as disks for reflection.

Inscriptions

Inscription

Zhang Zigao from Jinling.

Provenance
Thomas and Martha Carter, Madison, WI
Citations
Spee, Clarissa von. "From the SIlk Road to the Imperial Court: Chinese Textiles in the Cleveland Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 48, no. 3(May-June 2018): 50-56. Reproduced: p. 52, fig. 3
Chou, Ju-hsi. Circles of reflection: the Carter collection of Chinese bronze mirrors. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000. Reproduced: p. 84, cat. no. 79
Exhibition history

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. 79, p. 84; pp. 109-110, 125; repr. p. 84.

New York, New York: China Institute Gallery; February 6, 2002-June 2, 2002. "Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors".

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".

Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 17-November 26, 2000); China Institute Gallery (February 6-June 2, 2002); Elvehjem Museum of Art (December 20, 2003-February 29, 2004).

"The Splendor of Chinese Silk" – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c – February-August 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 5-August 12, 2018).

Source URL: https://cmaweb23-bbn-2.clevelandart.org/art/1995.389