Star and Cloud Mirror
Asian Art
On View: Asian Galleries, West, 2nd floor (China)
Studies of the cosmos and astrology were popular in early China, and artisans used many symbols to picture the universe, as on the back of this bronze mirror. The raised designs on the outer rim represent mountain ranges that circumscribe the world and reach the sky. The central field contains constellations of rising and setting stars and planets while the central knob represents the polar star. In ancient Chinese texts, raised circular star motifs are given various names, including “star and cloud” (xing yun), “strung pearls” (lian zhu), or “hundred nipples” (bai ru). In ancient China, a round shape usually referred to Heaven while a square shape referred to Earth. However, mirrors were typically round without necessarily having a celestial meaning.
MEDIUM
Bronze
DATES
206 B.C.E.â220 C.E.
DYNASTY
Western Han Dynasty
PERIOD
Han Dynasty
DIMENSIONS
7/8 x 6 1/16 in. (2.2 x 15.4 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
1992.82
CREDIT LINE
Gift of the Asian Art Council
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Asian Galleries, West, 2nd floor (China)
CAPTION
Star and Cloud Mirror, 206 B.C.E.â220 C.E. Bronze, 7/8 x 6 1/16 in. (2.2 x 15.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Asian Art Council, 1992.82. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1992.82_transp4479.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 1992.82_transp4479.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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