Circular Mirror with Decoration of Linked Arcs, Stylized Birds and Clouds, and TLV Pattern Set against a Plain Ground, and with an Eight-Character Auspicious Inscription
2nd-1st century BCE
Description
Sixteen linked arcs raised in relief comprise the outer border of this circular mirror. The decorative field at the center includes: stylized birds in bead-and-thread-relief; TLV patterns with edges raised in slight relief; four bosses at the corners of a square that surrounds a quatrefoil and the round, hemi-spherical knob at the center. An eight-character inscription in thread-relief is arranged around the square. The bronze is very silvery, which implies a high tin content. There is a good deal of patina on the reflecting side of the mirror, containing both fabric pseudomorphs as well as actual textile remains. There are also localized areas of textile pseudomorphs on the decorated side of the mirror.
Dimensions
Diam. 13.8 cm (5 7/16 in.)
Provenance
Edmund Lin (1928-2006; Professor, Harvard Medical School), Boston; by bequest to the Harvard Art Museum
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