“Yuxia” bronze mirror decorated with ginkgo leaves, Sui to early Tang dynasty, 7th century

“Yuxia” bronze mirror decorated with ginkgo leaves, Sui to early Tang dynasty, 7th century

• Image Number: C1A000351N000000000PAB
• Dynasty: Sui dynasty
• Category: Bronzes
• Function: Household appliance
• Material: Mineral/Metal/Bronze
• Description:
  Circular mirror. The inner and outer areas of the mirror back decoration are bounded by thin string patterns. The inner area is a radial distribution of eight branches of Ginkgo biloba, and the intersection of branches forms a mirror button. Yu Xin, a poet of the Northern Zhou Dynasty who was cast in the outer area, said, “When the mirror is opened at the beginning of the jade box, a light wind blows away the dust. The light is like a piece of water, which reflects people on both sides.”