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Mirror with Four T's
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The symbolic significance of the ancient Chinese mirror lies in its circular form and reflective quality that make it resemble the sun and the moon. "By the light of the sun, the world is made bright," so said a mirrorsmith. When the mirror was taken with its owner for use in the afterlife, it reflected the soul and brought eternal brightness to the next world.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineMirror with Four T's (四山鏡), 300s BCE. China, Warring States period (475–221 BCE). Bronze; diameter: 10.4 cm (4 1/8 in.); rim: 0.5 cm (3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee, 1995.281
