Old Chinese mirror Four Auspicious Beasts 110 millimeter

Old Chinese mirror, made somewhere in the 1st half of the 20th century. Made from bronze, which has beautifully aged with a dark green-grey patina over the years. So please take note; while we usually recommend to polish your mirrors regularly to keep them shiny, of course for this one we certainly wouldn't recommend such a thing.

Size: 11 centimeters diameter and 209 grams.

This Chinese mirror has a very ancient design. The style, with the central knob on the decorated backside and the Chinese symbolism (in this case four symbols for happiness and well-being) is amongst the oldest known Chinese shamanic mirrors, dating back almost 4000 years. Mirrors like this are often made with the 'lost wax' bronze casting method. This style of mirror is still highly regarded nowadays.

The decoration on this mirror is a replica of a motive that became very popular in the Chinese Sui dynasty (581-618 CE) and can nowadays still be found in Chinese, Siberian and Himalayan regions. It is a depiction of the Four Auspicious Beasts; mythological creatures that are guardians of the world and are associated with the four cardinal directions; the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermillion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West and the Black Tortoise of the North. Mirrors such as these especially symbolize prosperity and longevity.

Read more about the origin, design and usage of (shamanic) mirrors in the general description of our webshop collection "Mirrors and Melongs".