Mirror with Phoenixes, Birds, Butterflies, and Floral Sprays
A round mirror with a lobed rim and a dark, crackled lacquered surface inlaid with silver and gold. Four phoenixes with long, sweeping tails alternate with birds, butterflies and flowering sprays around a central boss ringed by stylized blossoms and scrolls. The record dates it to the 700s and places it in the Tang dynasty.
Look closer: Small gold butterflies and a tiny bird are scattered near the outer edge among the floral sprays.
- Artist
- Unknown
- Date
- 700s
- Medium
- bronze with silver and gold inlaid lacquer
- Source
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Size
- 3400 × 3266 px
Public domain · The Cleveland Museum of Art releases this image under CC0 (latest date 799).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access, share_license_status=CC0)
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access, share_license_status=CC0)
Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund