Mirror with Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) and Duke Father of the East (Dongwanggong)

Object Details

• Provenance

  From at least 1926

  Yamanaka & Company, New York from at least 1926. [1]

  From at least 1929

  Mrs. Christian R. Holmes (1871-1941), New York and "The Chimneys," Sands Point, Port Washington, Long Island, from at least 1929. [2]

  From at least 1945 to 1946

  Tonying and Company, New York, from at least January 17, 1945. [3]

  From 1946

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Tonying and Company, New York on February 18, 1946. [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See Yamanka & Company’s exhibition catalogue, Exhibition of Early Chinese Bronzes, Stone Sculptures and Potteries (New York: Yamanaka & Co., 1926), cat. 26 (ill.). This source cites a report according to which the mirror was excavated “on June 29 in the 14th year of the Republic (1925)”, from the tomb of the Empress-wife of the Emperor Guangwu, located at Mangshan, Luoyang, Henan province. It is impossible to verify the statements of this report.

  According to Anneliese Bulling, the high quality gold sheet and the elegant design of the mirror support the assumption that it was made for the wife of an emperor or for a member of his court. See A. Bulling, “The Decoration of Mirrors of the Han Period: A Chronology,” Artibus Asiae: Supplementum vol. 20 (1960), pp. 88-89, pl. 73.

  [2] See Yamanaka & Company, To-So Seikwa: Select relics of the Tang and Sung Dynasties from the Collections in Europe and America (Osaka, 1929), vol. 2, pl. 48. The publication cites the report quoted in Yamanka 1926 but interprets the date of excavation as June 29, 1924.

  [3] The mirror is included on “List of Objects Contemplated for Purchase by the Freer Gallery of Art,” approved by A. Wetmore, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, on January 17, 1945, copy in object file.

  [4] See Tonying & Company’s invoice, dated February 18, 1946, in which the mirror figures under no. G. 6: “Chinese Bronze Mirror with gold back, decorated with chariots, men, birds and flowers / Han,” copy in object file. See also A. G. Wenley’s letter to C. F. Yau, Tonying & Co., New York, dated February 15, 1946, copy in object file, in which Wenley confirms the acquisition of the mirror for the Freer Gallery’s collection.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Tales of the Brush: Literary Masterpieces in Chinese Painting (July 28, 2007 to January 13, 2008)

  Chinese Art (February 18, 1983 to April 1, 1987)

  Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)

  Chinese Bronze, Jade, Metalwork (March 1, 1957 to January 1, 1963)

  Special Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1946 (August 7, 1946 to January 7, 1947)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965)

  Mrs. Christian R. Holmes (1871-1941)

  Tonying and Company 通運公司 (established 1902)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Mirror

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  200s

• Name

  Holmes, Christian R., Tonying and Company, Yamanaka and Co.

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Repoussé, Gold, Art, Inlay (process), Embossing, Han dynasty, 202 B.C.-220 A.D., Chinese Art, Iron, Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE), Sculpture, Duke Father of the East, Metal-cutting, Queen Mother of the West

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Mirrors