Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Ancient Chinese Bronze Mirrors from the Lloyd Cotsen Collection
Exhibitions
1 of 3
Mirror with Quatrefoil, Grass Motifs, Stars, and Linked Arc, Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.–8 C.E.)
Square Mirror with Five Mountains, Birds, and Plants, China, Tang dynasty (618–907)
Mirror with Riders and Figures in Landscape, China, Warring States period (450–221 BCE) to Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8CE)
Past eventSat., Nov. 12, 2011, 12 a.m.–Tue., May 15, 2012, 11:59 p.m.
Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art, Susan and Stephen Chandler Wing
Few things provide a clearer picture of an ancient civilization than the study of its material culture: the objects a society created, used, and valued. For certain scholars of Chinese culture, the broad sweep of history can be found reflected in a particularly beautiful art form: exquisitely crafted mirrors made of bronze.
Reflections of an Ancient Culture
Few things provide a clearer picture of an ancient civilization than the study of its material culture: the objects a society created, used, and valued. For certain scholars of Chinese culture, the broad sweep of history can be found reflected in a particularly beautiful art form: exquisitely crafted mirrors made of bronze.
An important collection of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors spanning 3,000 years will make its first public appearance this fall in an exhibition at The Huntington. “Ancient Chinese Bronze Mirrors from the Lloyd Cotsen Collection” opens Nov. 12 in the Chandler Wing of the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries and continues through May 14, 2012.
Inscriptions
On mirrors as well as textiles, written characters were incorporated directly into the design. These inscriptions were often auspicious phrases, bearing good wishes for the owners. The earliest inscribed mirror in the Cotsen collection is from the Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.–8 C.E.). Within a design that embodies the cosmic principles of space, time, heaven, and earth, the inscription reads:
May you enjoy noble status and
blessings for a long time;
May you have pleasure without incident;
May you have delight every day;
May you have plentiful wine and food;
And may you regularly obtain lordly delights.
Cotsen, a Los Angeles businessman, philanthropist, art collector, and member of The Huntington’s Board of Overseers, purchased his first Chinese bronze mirrors in Hong Kong in the early 1950s. Today his collection contains thousands of pieces, including substantial assemblages of textiles, basketry, and folk art.
The exhibition will include nearly 90 highly decorative early bronze mirrors, ranging in date from the Qijia Culture (2100–1700 B.C.) of pre- and early Chinese history, the Warring States period (450–221 B.C.), and the Han (206 B.C.–A.D. 220), Tang (618–907) and Jin (1115–1234) dynasties. Several related textile fragments will also be displayed.
