Octafoil-shaped Mirror Featuring Ci Fei, the Dragon Slayer
Details
- Author / creator
- China, Jin dynasty (1115-1234) or Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918-1392)
- Object type
- Metalwork
- Date or period
- 900s–1300s
- Dimensions summary
- Diameter: 17.2 cm; Overall: 1.1 cm; Rim: 0.5 cm
- Maker or workshop
- China, Jin dynasty (1115-1234) or Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918-1392)
- Period / style
- Jin dynasty period
- Place of origin
- China
- Acquisition method
- Donation
- Credit line
- Gift of the Hartley Bequest, 1995
- Image rights
- Public domain (CC0)
About this object
The mythical hero Ci Fei and his victory during his travel through the Yangzi River is depicted on this eight-lobbed mirror. He raises his sword in order to attack sea monsters. On the top, a large inscription in seal script reads “Great and Resplendent is the Heaven.” The mirror is currently thought to be a Chinese work dating to the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). Recently published excavation reports, however, reveal that this particular type was exclusively unearthed from Korean tombs of the Goryeo period. Some Korean scholars speculate that this Chinese epic was appropriated to celebrate the Goryeo ruling house’s heroic ancestry and this type of mirror was widely distributed as a token of power among Goryeo elite class members.
Materials and technique
Bronze
Signature and marks
煌丕昌天 (“Great and resplendent is the heaven”)
