Chinese Western Han Dynasty Bronze Mirror

The reverse of the cast bronze mirror, from Western Han Dynasty China, and thus almost 2,500 year’s old, has a linked-arch outer border with fourteen arched sections. The central roundel is of twelve arched sections, with a raised, pieced central node to allow the mirror’s suspension. The field in between is decorated with three feline-like animals, probably tigers, chasing one and other. All this decoration is in relief. The other side is highly-polished to serve as a mirror (it is now brown with centuries of age.)

The contours of the mirror have been worn smooth with age and the edges are noticeably thin.

The arched borders is a pattern commonly found in Han Dynasty mirrors. The vast majority of such mirrors have sixteen outer arches. Mirrors with fourteen arches are much less common (Lin, 2012, p. 304).

Such mirrors were produced in workshops in China from the fourth and third century BC and traded across China and outside, to Tibet, Siberia and Central Asia, where they were seen as exotic, luxury tradeable goods that had talismanic and shamanistic value. They were also prestige objects worn by those of high status.

In Tibet, such mirrors were used because of their reflective powers and so were worn by shaman-priests on their chests, to reflect away malevolent spirits.

The mirror here has a superb softness and dark patina from its obvious antiquity. It is in excellent condition. Han period mirrors are rarer than more common and later Tang examples.