China, Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE) / 100–200 CE
Mirror with Deities, Chariot, and the White Tiger
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Mirror with Deities, Chariot, and the White Tiger as metalwork (China, Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE) · 100–200 CE).
The meaning of the complex imagery on this mirror's back is not fully understood.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this metalwork as bronze.
The museum's collection notes: Depicted on the mirror back are two Daoist deities: the King Father of the East (Dongwanggong) and the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu). Completing the design are the White Tiger of the west (one the Four Spirits representing the four cardinal directions, including the Green Dragon of the east, the Red Bird of the south, and the Dark Warrior of the north) and a chariot drawn by three horses. The reason for the redundancy of two symbolic images relating to the west is not known.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtMirror with Deities, Chariot, and the White TigerOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.