A large bronze mirror, Yuan/Mingdynasty, 13th/14th Century.
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Decorated in relief with birds amdist greenery. Four mythical beasts are galloping around the knob. Diameter 23,5 cm.
Tarnished.
Provenance
From the collection of a Swedish conneisseur of antiques with a great passion and interest for Asian Works of Art, especially Chinese porcelain, enamels and bronze mirrors. The mirrors were brought together during the 1950's and 1960's, thence by descent within the family.
Exhibitions
Compare a similar one, in the Collection of Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. DSC04160.
More information
Bronze mirror had always been regarded as a daily-use article to put up make-up or dress up all the way through the late Neolithic Period to Ming and Qing Dynasties. Blended with our forefathers’ aesthetic affection and delicately made, these bronze mirrors, with their gorgeous patterns and solemn inscriptions, add luster to Chinese cultural history.
People in ancient China believed that the bronze mirrors can be used to ward off evil spirits and subdue demons, so the bronze mirrors were often found being placed on top of the door, the ridges and walls of houses and temples, and even on the soldier's chest.