A CHINESE BRONZE 'TLV' MIRROR

Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E – 9 C.E)

西漢 銅四神規矩紋鏡

The circular mirror centered with a plain, domed knob enclosed by a square border punctuated with pointed nipples interspersed with character marks, the outer field cast with the Guardians of the Four Directions and other various birds and animals amidst additional nipples and T, L and V symbols, the wide, raised rim decorated with a sawtooth band before stylised cloud swirls,

21.6cm diameter, weight approx. 1.36kg

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NOTE:

The decoration on this 'TLV' mirror, named after the symbols that adorn them, is derived from the layout of Qin and Han dynasty liubo game boards, the rules of which are largely lost.

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REFERENCE:

An almost identical mirror was sold at Christie's New York, 22nd March 2016, lot 1139. A comparable mirror of slightly-smaller size was sold at Christie's New York, 14th September 2018, 1121. A larger example was sold at the same rooms, 22nd March 2012, 1410.

See a related mirror illustrated in 'Ancient Bronze Mirrors from the Shanghai Museum', Shanghai, 2005, pp. 164-5 no. 45. Also compare a related mirror in the Lagrelius Collection Stockholm, which is also illustrated by B. Karlgren, 'The Exhibition of Early Chinese Bronzes', BMFEA, Stockholm, 1934, no. 6, pl. LII. Another similar mirror, of almost identical size, is housed in the Sumitomo Collection and illustrated in the exhibition catalogue 'Chinese Bronze Mirrors', Sen-Oku Hakuko Kan, 8th January - 6th March 2011, p. 25, no. 37.

For a comparable mirror see the description in 'Bronze Mirrors from Ancient China: Donald H. Graham Jr. Collection', p. 140, no. 41.

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