A SILVERED BRONZE ‘ANIMALS AND GRAPEVINES’ MIRROR, INSCRIBED WITH A POEM, TANG DYNASTY

拍品描述

A SILVERED BRONZE ‘ANIMALS AND GRAPEVINES’ MIRROR, INSCRIBED WITH A POEM, TANG DYNASTY China, 618-907. Crisply cast, of circular form, the reverse centered by a knob surrounded by five animals frolicking amidst fruit-laden grapevines, enclosed within a narrow raised border, the outer field bearing a lengthy inscription beneath a sawtooth band. The front of the mirror left undecorated and superbly polished to form its reflective surface, retaining a silvery sheen. One band with a twenty-character poem written in kaishu (regular script), read clockwise: Shang de Qinwang jing, pan bu xi qianjin. Fei guan yu zhao dan, te shi zi ming xin. ‘I received the King of Qin’s mirror as a reward; I would not begrudge even a thousand pieces of gold for it. It is not that I wish to use it to see into men’s innermost selves; rather, it is to illuminate my own heart.’ Dimensions: Diameter 13.7 cm With a padded-silk storage box. (2) The decorations found on Chinese bronze mirrors are closely related to the cultural, religious and historical context of their periods. During the Tang dynasty, the casting of bronze mirrors was taken to new heights, bringing more elaborate designs that reflect the cosmopolitan nature of Tang society. One example which testifies to such technical dexterity and artistic sophistication is the ‘mythical animals and grapes’ mirror. The combination of mythical beasts and grapes is one of the most classic design adorning the backs of Tang mirrors. The emergence of this motif can be associated with Manichaeism, the religious belief commonly practiced by the Sogdian communities trading along the Silk Road, which was introduced into China around the reign of Emperor Gaozong (r. 649-683). Mythical sea creatures and grapes had special significance in Manichean iconography. Thus following the growing popularity of Manichaeism in China during the mid Tang era, these two motifs gained prominence in bronze mirror design. Due to the complexity of the design, in which many of the mythical animals are very difficult to be identified, Japanese scholars have whimsically coined the term ‘Mirror of Enigma’ when referring to this group of ‘mythical animals and grapes’ mirrors. Inscriptions on Tang-dynasty bronze mirrors are often arranged in a circular pattern. This continuous configuration, in which each section leads into the next, facilitated the emergence and development of palindromic inscriptions, a distinctive literary form and compositional device in classical Chinese literature. Such inscriptions may be read forwards or backwards, as well as cyclically, allowing several different poems to be formed from the same sequence of characters. The Tang scholar Wu Jing, in his Essential Explanations of Ancient Yuefu Titles, described the form as follows: ‘Palindromic poems, whether read forwards or backwards, can be recited as verse and are composed from the same text’. Literature comparison: An identical mirror bearing the same inscription is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of Special Exhibition of Bronze Mirrors in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, p. 150, pl. 73. Compare a closely related mirror in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, object number 故銅002002N000000000. Auction result comparison: Type: Near-identical Auction: Christie’s New York, 26 March 2010, lot 1277 Price: USD 60,000 or approx. EUR 80,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of casting, decoration, and motifs. Note the identical inscription and size (13.8 cm).

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