The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Mirror with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats
c. 1800
workshop of Tang Wanheng
(Chinese, active c. 1800)
Diameter: 16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.); Overall: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.); Rim: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
The five–bat design signals a wish for good fortune.Description
This mirror bears a large character of xi 囍 ("double happiness," as in a marriage) as its principal decoration. Below that, a smaller inscription in a rectangular frame establishes the mirror maker's identity. Tang Wanheng 湯萬亨 must have enjoyed a lucrative trade and sufficient renown to warrant the inclusion of his name on his products. It has been suggested that these mirrors were not so much made for reflective purposes as for ritualistic use during the marriage ceremony, hence the "double happiness" as its main decoration.- ?-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, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000. Mentioned: cat. no. 92, pp. 95–96, 110, 126; Reproduced: pp. 8, 22, 95
- 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 with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats|url=false|author=Tang Wanheng|year=c. 1800|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.401