A LARGE 'TLV' BRONZE MIRROR WITH A CIRCUMFERENTIAL INSCRIPTION, EASTERN HAN DYNASTY

拍品描述

A LARGE 'TLV' BRONZE MIRROR WITH A CIRCUMFERENTIAL INSCRIPTION, EASTERN HAN DYNASTY China, 25-220 AD. The central knob rising from an ornate quatrefoil within a square enclosing twelve small nipples alternating with twelve characters representing the Twelve Branches, the main field with somewhat abbreviated TLV patterns as well as eight nipples separating the Guardians of the Four Directions - the Blue Dragon, the Red Bird, the White Tiger and the Dark Warrior - as well as other animals and birds cast in thread relief, all within an inscription expressing Daoist concepts, a hachured band, and borders of sawtooth and flowing cloud design on the rim. Inscriptions: The inscription incorporates clearly legible characters from a well-known Han-dynasty mirror inscription expressing Daoist ideals of immortality, commonly found on Shangfang and TLV mirrors of the Western and Eastern Han periods. While a few characters on the present mirror are not legible with absolute certainty, the standard inscription to which the recognizable passages refer is generally reconstructed as follows: 尚方作竟（镜）真大巧，上有仙人不知老。渴饮玉泉饥食枣，浮由（游）天下敖（遨）四海。寿如金石佳且好 (or: 乐长生兮未央). Dimensions: Diameter 20 cm The diagrammatic decoration on the back of this mirror points to a new cosmology. The square world—aligned with the four cardinal directions and inscribed with the “twelve earthly branches” used to compute the calendar—is surrounded by the circular heavens ringed in turn by the waves of the cosmic ocean. Sharing the heavenly realm with the animals of the four directions (the red bird of the south, white tiger of the west, entwined turtle and snake of the north, and the blue dragon of the east) and other mythical creatures are T-, L-, and V-shaped markings that recall the measuring devices and rulers used by Fu Xi and Nu Wa, who were believed to have created the universe. The same “TLV” design also appears on the liubo game board, suggesting that a game of chance also plays a part in the workings of the universe. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related mirror with game board design, Eastern Han dynasty, dated 1st-2nd century, 17.8 cm wide, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 67.253.2. Compare a closely related TLV Mirror with multiple nipples, Eastern Han dynasty, dated 1-200 CE, 17.1 cm wide, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1917.953. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2013, lot 1139 Price: USD 21,250 or approx. EUR 26,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and similar modeling, decoration, and size (20.6 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 19 March 2009, lot 525 Price: USD 16,250 or approx. EUR 22,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and similar modeling, decoration, and size (21 cm).

图片