Mirror with a Coiling Dragon
Cast in high-tin and low-lead bronze by the lost wax method, this mirror has a dark and lustrous patina known as heiqigu (literally, "black lacquer antique"). It bears a design of a coiling dragon among trailing clouds. With a small, elongated head connecting to an S-curve of the neck that is as sinuous as the body and tail, the dragon of the Tang period is unique.
Credit: Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee
700s
Bronze
10.2cm
1995.367
Image and text: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2024
Where you'll find this
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Permanent collection