Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 4
March 3, 2009 (Tue) - June 7, 2009 (Sun)
This display features representative examples of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors from the Museum collection. Bronze is an alloy of copper, tin and lead, and appear either gold or silver in color. When polished, it is highly reflective, which led to its worldwide use as a material for making mirrors prior to the development of glass. Bronze mirrors were usually decorated with a variety of designs.
In China, bronze mirrors became widely used during the Warring States period (5th century BC - 3rd century BC). The designs on ancient Chinese mirrors were often of an auspicious nature, and were believed to bring good luck. From the Han dynasty (3rd century BC - 3rd century AD) onward, mirrors often featured inscriptions of auspicious words.