Bronze mirror inscribed with a decoration of the tale of Liu Yi, Jin dynasty (1115-1234)

Bronze mirror inscribed with a decoration of the tale of Liu Yi, Jin dynasty (1115-1234)

• Image Number: K1A000068N000000000PAB
• Dynasty: Jin dynasty
• Category: Bronzes
• Function: Household appliance
• Material: Mineral/Metal/Bronze
• Description:
  Round mirror, hemispherical button. The mirror back is wide and plain, with a thin string pattern inside. The relief pattern shows a man sitting under a tree on the bank, with a child holding something underneath. The fairy and her waiter come by the waves. It is generally believed that such motifs come from the legend of the Tang Dynasty, Liu Yi’s Biography, which describes the scene of a dragon lady complaining of suffering and abuse to Liu Yi. This theme was quite popular on the bronze mirrors of the Jin Dynasty and was unearthed in Heilongjiang. The same mirror as this one was recorded in the Xiqing Xujian (Part A), but it was not found in the bronze mirror box of the Xiqing Xujian (Part A), which was kept by our hospital. It may have been included in the collection of the Ningshouxujian (Part A) mirror box bronze mirror.