Mirror
918-1392 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The back of this mirror is decorated with a complex cosmological design. The central perforated knob is in the form of a crouching animal. It is surrounded by the four animals of the cardinal directions: the tiger (west), dragon (east), phoenix (south) and tortoise (north). The designs in the following four concentric bands represent: the eight trigrams; the ten heavenly stems; the 12 earthly branches; the 36 creatures of the zodiac and the 24 solar terms. The mirror dates to the Koryo period (918-1392) when a great variety of bronze mirrors were made, differing in sizes, shapes and decorations. The decoration on this mirror was very popular and it may have been influenced by Chinese mirrors with similar types of decoration.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Cast bronze |
| Brief description | Bronze mirror with cosmological design |
| Physical description | A circular mirror with pierced boss in form of a toad, surrounded by five concentric zones of calendrical subjects in relief. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label | 4. Five Goryeo-gyeong (bronze mirrors)
Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
Korean bronze mirrors, Goryeo-gyeong, were produced on a large scale and in a wide variety of shapes from the 10th century. They were often elaborately patterned on one side, while the other was polished to a high sheen to provide a reflection. A loop at the top of the mirror allowed for a string to be put through to make a handle or a hanging system. Bronze mirrors were used until glass mirrors were imported to the Korean peninsula in the late 17th century.
Cast bronze
Museum no. FE.229-1974 given by Miss Christobel Hardcastle
Museum nos. M.77,82,86-1937(05/04/2019) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The back of this mirror is decorated with a complex cosmological design. The central perforated knob is in the form of a crouching animal. It is surrounded by the four animals of the cardinal directions: the tiger (west), dragon (east), phoenix (south) and tortoise (north). The designs in the following four concentric bands represent: the eight trigrams; the ten heavenly stems; the 12 earthly branches; the 36 creatures of the zodiac and the 24 solar terms. The mirror dates to the Koryo period (918-1392) when a great variety of bronze mirrors were made, differing in sizes, shapes and decorations. The decoration on this mirror was very popular and it may have been influenced by Chinese mirrors with similar types of decoration. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.77-1937 |
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| Record created | February 3, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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