Mirror with lion and grapevine

Object Details

• Previous custodian or owner

  James Marshall Plumer (1899-1960)

  Caroline L. Plumer (1901-1995)

• Provenance

  Around 1937 to 1962

  James Marshall Plumer (1899-1960) and Caroline (Carol) L. Plumer (1901-1995), Ann Arbor, Michigan purchased the mirror while living in China [1]

  From 1962

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Caroline Plumer, Ann Arbor, Michigan through Frank Caro, C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York, NY [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See letters dated from July 1961 to August 1966, exchanged between John Pope, Mrs. James Marshall Plumer (Caroline) and C. T. Loo Chinese Art (under direction of Frank Caro), copies in object file. In the Plumer's collection, the object was inventoried as "37-5-7-2: Bronze Mirror, T'ang Dynasty." The "37" prefix in the Plumer inventory number suggests an acquisition year of 1937.

  [2] See note 1. Mrs. Plumer and Mr. Pope had special arrangement regarding the payment for this mirror and others, which stretched over a 5-year period. In 1974, the mirror was transferred from the Freer Study Collection to the Permanent Collection. See Curatorial Remark 9 in the object record and object file.

• 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.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  900s, 600s

• Name

  Plumer, Caroline L., Plumer, James Marshall

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Cats, Art, Animals, Insects, Chinese Art, Birds, Tang dynasty (618 - 907)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Mirrors