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A plain, six-lobed, foliate rim bronze mirror with a maker’s inscription and an unusual burial texture on the reverse. While the foliate rim was common to Tang Dynasty mirrors, several characteristics of this example date it to the Yuan or early Ming Dynasty.
Beginning with the Song, mirrors often carried an inscription on the reverse which identified the maker and generally proclaimed the practical, reflective qualities of the mirror if in somewhat poetic terms. From the Song until the very end of the Ching Dynasty, many mirrors were produced at Huzhou in northern Zhejiang Province. Tang mirrors—known in antique Chinese texts as “big nosed” mirrors—typically had large, round center bosses which protruded above the surface decoration. Song mirrors retain the large bosses, but these tend to be flattened and almost flush with the raised outer rim. However, after the Song and gradually through the Yuan and Ming dynasties the center bosses become smaller and rounder until they assume the greatly reduced form which continues to the end of the Ching Dynasty. While the pierced boss of this example is flat, it is very small and transitional and probably dates to the Yuan or early Ming Dynasty. Furthermore, Ming connoisseurs frowned upon the highly decorated mirrors of the Tang and Song and this is a very plain example. This is a cosmetic rather than a magical mirror of a type typically used for several generations, the reflective surface reapplied and re-polished many times, and at some point--probably when the mirror no longer had much practical or reflective value--buried with the dead as a largely symbolic provision for the afterlife. The interesting, reptilian or pachyderm-like texture which resembles old crackled lacquer and covers the entire reverse (non-reflecting) side of this mirror is probably the aged resin of Pinus massoniana which was applied as a red coloring agent to contrast the prominent maker’s mark. The reverse side of this mirror, which appears rough in photographs, is smooth and retains a slight degree of its reflective quality and has a highly desirable “water black” color mixed with verdigris patches. Dimensions & Weight: 11.2cm (4-3/8”) across and weighing 11.2cm across144g (5.1 ounces).
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