Bronze mirror of linghua type

A small bronze mirror, the rim divided into eight bracketed lobes (linghua). The main decoration on the counter-sunk centre of the mirror consists of five stylised flowers, all arranged around a hemi-spherical pierced boss.  On the flat rim, each bracket contains either a flowering plant or a butterfly. There are some areas of malachite encrustation on both sides of the mirror and on the rim.

•  Although most Tang dynasty mirrors are much larger in size, this small mirror with its unusual design of stylised flowers was probably intended for use rather than as a tomb model or toy. The metal alloy has a high tin content, as a result of which the mirror has retained its shine and reflective surface.  A slightly smaller mirror of similar design with a decoration of hunters on horses is at the Cleveland Museum of Art.2  It is dated to the late 7th or early 8th century.  Another mirror of similar form and design is in the Wellington Wang collection. 2 

1. Chou Ju-shi Circles of Reflection, the Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors, Cleveland 2002, no. 63 p. 72
2. Wang, A. et al. Clarified Beauty of Bronze Mirrors – Wellington Wang Collection, Taipei 1998, no. 121, pp. 158-9