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Mirror with Deities, Chariot, and the White Tiger
100–200 CE
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
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.
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Details
- Title: Mirror with Deities, Chariot, and the White Tiger
- Date Created: 100–200 CE
- Physical Dimensions: Diameter: 18.3 cm (7 3/16 in.); Overall: 1.7 cm (11/16 in.); Rim: 0.9 cm (3/8 in.)
- Provenance: Thomas and Martha Carter, Madison, WI
- Type: Metalwork
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1995.332
- Medium: bronze
- Fun Fact: The meaning of the complex imagery on this mirror's back is not fully understood.
- Department: Chinese Art
- Culture: China, Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE)
- Credit Line: Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee
- Collection: China - Han Dynasty
- Accession Number: 1995.332
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