China, Tang dynasty (618-907) / 700s
Mirror with Phoenixes, Birds, Butterflies, and Floral Sprays
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Mirror with Phoenixes, Birds, Butterflies, and Floral Sprays as metalwork (China, Tang dynasty (618-907) · 700s).
Mirrors like this have a polished side for viewing and a decorated side with a central knob for lifting.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this metalwork as bronze with silver and gold inlaid lacquer.
The museum's collection notes: This extremely rare pingtuo mirror is coated with a lacquer base inlaid with paper-thin sheets of silver and gold. The decorative patterns, especially the floral arabesques and the phoenixes and birds holding branches in their mouths, have a pronounced Persian and Central Asian flavor. Luxury items like this had been used by the Tang emperor as diplomatic gifts. A similar example from the Japanese imperial collection of Emperor Shōmu was donated by Empress Kōmyō in 756 to the Shōsō-in repository of the Tōdai-ji Temple, Nara, Japan.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtMirror with Phoenixes, Birds, Butterflies, and Floral SpraysOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.