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| Mirror |
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| North China, reportedly found in Henan Province; Tang period (618-906), about 8th century |
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| Bronze with gold and silver inlays in lacquer |
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| H. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm); W. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm) |
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| Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art |
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| 1979.119 |
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| The decoration of the back of this mirror illustrates the use of gold and silver during the Tang dynasty (618-906). The 7th and 8th centuries marked the height of the dynasty's power and prestige. They also saw a flowering of the arts and an increase in the number of precious-metal objects. The birds, flowers, insects, plants, and decorative motifs that embellish the back of this bronze mirror were cut from individual pieces of gold and silver foil, inlaid into a lacquer base, and then covered with an additional layer of lacquer to keep them in place. While this method of inlaying can be traced to the Han period (206 B.C.E. - C.E. 220), the plants and birds in the design are typically Tang. |
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