Jun 30, 2017
Jun 30, 2017

Mirror with Xiwangmu

Mirror with Xiwangmu

西王母鏡

c. AD 317–400

Bronze

Diameter: 18.5 cm (7 5/16 in.)

The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 1983.213

Location

Description

This mirror depicts Xiwangmu, Queen Mother of the West, and her husband, Dongwanggong, King Father of the East, surrounded by mythical figures and animals. One of the earliest and most powerful goddesses in the Daoist pantheon, Xiwangmu can be identified by her U-shaped crown. Legend says that the two deities meet once a year representing the meeting of yin and yang, the two forces that constitute the universe. This mirror shows a band of 14 squares around the center containing a long inscription.

See also
Department: 
Chinese Art
Type of artwork: 
Metalwork
Medium: 
Bronze

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