China, Tang dynasty (618-907) / mid to late 700s
Lobed Mirror with Heaven and Earth between the Paired Phoenixes
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Lobed Mirror with Heaven and Earth between the Paired Phoenixes as metalwork (China, Tang dynasty (618-907) · mid to late 700s).
This mirror contains cosmological symbolism with heaven represented by a large circle at top and earth by a square at bottom.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this metalwork as bronze.
The museum's collection notes: This mirror bears an important inscription as well as symbolic imagery of the Eight Trigrams and Heaven and Earth to express the ancient Chinese cosmological ideas. The inscription reads: Circle above and square below: These are symbolic of heaven and earth. In the middle are the Eight Trigrams. Making clear [the forces of] yin and yang. Stars and constellations are well aligned; The sun and the moon are virtuous and bright. Circulating around [the earth] is water, Giving identity to the Four Great Rivers. Within are the mountain ranges, To signify the lordly heights.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtLobed Mirror with Heaven and Earth between the Paired PhoenixesOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.