Title
Lobed mirror with a man playing a zither
Year/Period
Tang dynasty, 8th or early 9th century
Region
China
Material
Dimension
Object Size: 1.5 x 18.5 x 18.5 cm
Accession No.
2005.1-00850
Collection of
Credit Line
The Tang Shipwreck was acquired through the generous donation of the Estate of Khoo Teck Puat.
The mirror is decorated with a man playing the zither while a phoenix dances to the music. It bears an inscription, zhenzi feishuang 真子飞霜 (“true gentleman, flying frost”) which seems to allude to the musician and his song. The idyllic scene evokes notions of self-cultivation and reclusion which would have resonated with Chinese elites. Even if foreign buyers did not know such meanings, the Chinese characters and symbols would have made these mirrors exotic and desirable.
