Mirror
Asian Art
On View: Asian Galleries, South, 2nd floor
This thin cast bronze mirror has a perforated central boss from which to hang a cord. Framed in the center of the mirror are four mythical and auspicious animals: a dragon, a tiger, a deer, and a two-headed bird. The dragon, in addition to symbolizing the ruler, has the power to repel evil spirits and control natural phenomena such as floods and droughts. The tiger represents valor and courage as well as protection from disease. The deer is a symbol of longevity and friendship. The bird refers not merely to a prosperous future but to immortality itself, as the deceased might fly, symbolically, on its back to heaven.
MEDIUM
Bronze
DATES
5th–6th century
PERIOD
Three Kingdoms Period
DIMENSIONS
4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
2010.85.1
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. John P. Lyden
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Asian Galleries, South, 2nd floor
CAPTION
Mirror, 5th–6th century. Bronze, 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. John P. Lyden, 2010.85.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2010.85.1_PS11.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 2010.85.1_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2016
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply.
Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply).
For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch.
For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright.
If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
