Mirror with Dragon Arabesques

Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period or early Western Han dynasty, 3rd/2nd century B.C.

Bronze

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● On view now — Gallery 132

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · verified July 2026

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

The mirror in ancient China, usually held by hand with a cord, was a thin bronze disk with one face polished to a reflective sheen. The backs of mirrors were cast with elegant and dynamic designs. Tight spirals and triangles that form the ground pattern of this mirror are distinctive to south-central and southern China. These fanciful configurations seem to have been inspired by painted lacquers and embroidered and woven textiles distinctive to that area, which was occupied by the Kingdom of Chu.

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