Mirror thumbnail 1
Mirror thumbnail 2
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Mirror

918-1392 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Korea (made)

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

Category
Metalwork
Object type
Mirror
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
  • Diameter: 18cm
Style
Koryô
Gallery label
(05/04/2019)
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
Subject depicted
Astrology
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 reference
Beth McKillop. Korean Art and Design. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992. 45
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
M.77-1937

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Record createdFebruary 3, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O22260/mirror-unknown/
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