Old Chinese mirrors, 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 these ones we certainly wouldn't recommend such a thing.
Two mirrors in this style available. They both have a diameter of 12 centimeters and are similar in appearance, but differ a bit in their weight; one is 258 grams, the other one is 293 grams. You can choose your favorite one via the selection-menu.
These Chinese mirrors have 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 these mirrors shows a motive that became popular in the Chinese Tang dynasty (618-907 CE); two phoenixes (in the typical 8th century short-tailed depiction) balancing and complementing each other. Mirrors (or other items) with this depiction were especially used as wedding gifts, celebrating the union of the new couple and wishing them a harmonious, happy marriage. The phoenixes both hold twigs in their beak, symbolizing how they will build a new home together and also pomegranates can be seen; symbolizing fertility, prosperity, a blessed future and numerous offspring.
Read more about the origin, design and usage of (shamanic) mirrors in the general description of our webshop collection "Mirrors and Melongs".
