Mirror with Phoenixes, Birds, Butterflies, and Floral Sprays 金銀平脫花鳥鏡 700s China, Tang dynasty (618-907) Bronze with silver and gold inlaid lacquer Diameter: 19.2 cm (7 9/16 in.) Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1973.74 LOCATION 239 Chinese Ceramics and Metalwork DID YOU KNOW? Mirrors like this have a polished side for viewing and a decorated side with a central knob for lifting. DESCRIPTION This extremely rare pingtuo mirror is coated with a lacquer base inlaid with paper-thin sheets of silver and gold. The decorative patterns, especially the floral arabesques and the phoenixes and birds holding branches in their mouths, have a pronounced Persian and Central Asian flavor. Luxury items like this had been used by the Tang emperor as diplomatic gifts. A similar example from the Japanese imperial collection of Emperor Shōmu was donated by Empress Kōmyō in 756 to the Shōsō-in repository of the Tōdai-ji Temple, Nara, Japan.