Mirror with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats

Description

This mirror bears a large character of xi 囍 ("double happiness," as in a marriage) as its principal decoration. Below that, a smaller inscription in a rectangular frame establishes the mirror maker's identity. Tang Wanheng 湯萬亨 must have enjoyed a lucrative trade and sufficient renown to warrant the inclusion of his name on his products. It has been suggested that these mirrors were not so much made for reflective purposes as for ritualistic use during the marriage ceremony, hence the "double happiness" as its main decoration.

Provenance

Thomas and Martha Carter, Madison, WI, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1995); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1995–)

Mirror with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats

Tang Wanheng

c. 1800

Accession Number

1995.401

Medium

brass

Dimensions

Diameter: 16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.); Overall: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.); Rim: 0.6 cm (1/4 in.)

Classification

Metalwork

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter in Honor of Sherman E. Lee