Mirror with Grapevines, Birds, and Animals

Place of OriginChina

DateTang Dynasty (618-907)

DimensionsDiam: 6 1/2 in.

MediumBronze

ClassificationMetalwork

Credit LineGift of C. Justus Wilcox

Object number

1949.161

Not on View

DescriptionThis is a circular, cast bronze mirror. The reverse side is decorated in relief with a dense composition of animals, peacocks, grapes, birds, dragonflies, and butterflies.

Label TextThis mirror belongs to a type known in Japanese as "Kaiju-budo-kyo" (Sea-beast Grape Mirror). This style was mass-produced during the Tang Dynasty and reflects the period's cosmopolitanism, synthesizing Chinese, Persian, Central Asian, and potentially Sogdian artistic influences. The grape motif, introduced from West Asia, symbolized prosperity, while the lion motif (common on this type) was a symbol of royal authority adopted from Persia and India. Recent scholarship has linked the emergence of this design to the introduction of Manichaeism by Sogdian traders along the Silk Road in the late 7th century.