Chinese Bronze 'Mirror' - Oriental Mythical Creatures - 19cm Diameter
Lovely bronze oriental mirror measuring 19cm diameter. It is ornamented on the back with a design showing Oriental Creatures. It has a central boss which is pierced to allow a cord to be passed through for holding. The other side is undecorated and would have originally been more highly polished to create a reflective surface.
Bronze mirrors were introduced into Japan from China and Korea during the Yayoi period (about 300 BC - AD 300). At first they had a religious function and were regarded as symbols of authority. The Japanese soon learnt to make their own mirrors using the lost-wax technique, decorating them with Chinese or native Japanese designs.
By the Nara period (AD 710 -794) mirrors were being made for everyday use, with the increasing use of Japanese designs, such as native plants and animals symbolising good fortune. From the Kamakura period (1185-1333) a design showing Horaizan (the Chinese 'Island of Immortality') became popular.
Mirrors gradually became more robust. They mostly have a central boss, often in the shape of a tortoise, which was pierced and a cord passed through for holding. More new designs and the first handled mirrors appeared in the Muromachi period (1333-1568).
During the Edo period (1600-1868), mirrors decorated with lucky symbols or Chinese characters were given at weddings. Mirrors became larger as hairstyles became more ornate; some mirrors in Kabuki theatre dressing-rooms were up to fifty centimetres across and were placed on stands. The faces of mirrors were highly polished or burnished, with itinerant tinners and polishers specializing in this work.
Since the mirror, together with the sword and the jewel, were symbols of Imperial power, mirror-makers were deeply revered and often given honorary titles such as Tenka-Ichi ('First under Heaven'). However, this title was often misused and was officially prohibited in 1682.
Bronze mirrors were replaced by glass mirrors after the Meiji Restoration (1868).
PACKING REF 0067
Our family run business offers a wide variety of interior design home & gift ideas including antiques, mirrors, bronzes, furniture & collectables. We are also constantly sourcing bargain reduced price everyday items including toys, tools, home improvement goods, electrical goods, clothing, gifts and much more. Due to the diverse knowledge bank of our family of buyers we offer a very wide range of goods - who knows what we might stock next, our only constant being our dedication to offering quality goods at the most competitive prices. Please browse our shop below and be sure to come back regularly as we list new stock everyday of the week.
We are happy to accept most methods of payment. Paypal is our preferred method as it is quick and simple and also gives you the buyer peace of mind through its payment protection plan. However, should you prefer not to use Paypal we are happy to accept cheque, postal order or in larger transactions direct bank transfer. We also have a credit/debit card facility in place for you to pay over the phone. Please note on credit card transactions we charge a 3% surcharge & we unfortunately don't accept American Express.
Please check our feedback profile and bid with confidence. We are experienced eBay sellers and do not charge extra for Paypal payment. We are committed to providing a quality service and want to keep our customers satisfied throughout the transaction. If there is anything you are not happy during a transaction please let us know before leaving negative feedback - there is always a solution!
On items that are sent with couriers we state a despatch time of 2 business days, however where possible we will send your item on the day or day after you pay. We employ a small team of dedicated 'packers', their aim is to ensure that every item they despatch arrives with its new owner in the same condition it leaves us. We spend a small fortune every week on professional packaging materials and prefer to 'overpack' something so that it arrives undamaged rather than your new purchase arriving damaged. We have experience of sending fragile goods to every corner of the globe so rest assured that whatever you purchase will arrive in the condition it should.
We have contracts with both Parcelforce & Home Delivery Network and we also use Royal Mail for smaller items. For larger items weighing over 30kg we have a network of small independent courier companies who specialise in handling fragile & expensive goods. On occasion, if necessary, we also deliver goods personally if we feel that it will be more economical or if we are concerned about the item arriving to you in top condition. We are happy to ship to anywhere in the world but please understand shipping costs vary greatly from country to country. If buying from overseas please be aware that an item not weighing a great deal will be priced according to its ' volumetric weight ' so the size of the box it is packed in will determine the cost of the shipping. Often, when shipping overseas it is far more practical to purchase more than one item at a time as we are happy to package together wherever possible to make the shipping quote more bearable.
We have contracts with Parcelforce Worldwide and we pass on our discounted rate to make savings for you, we have an excellent ' 30kg deal' to many European Countries where we pay a set price for a box up to 30kg of weight so feel free to buy a few items and build your own box. We are happy to ship large items such as furniture overseas but these require specific quotes so please provide your address details and ask before bidding.
PLEASE NOTE: Northern Ireland, the Scottish Isles, the Scottish Highlands, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Scilly Isles and BFPO do not apply to the postage condition set above. Please contact us for a quote before purchasing.
We only accept returns if your item arrives damaged or not as we have described. Returns postage is the responsibility of the buyer. Included with your order you should find a letter detailing all of our contact and returns address information. If for any reason you are not 100% happy with your item when you receive it, please contact us on the telephone number provided and we will do our upmost to resolve your problem.
Due to the huge amounts of emails generated through ebay every day we unfortunately cannot respond to enquiries send directly to our email address - Please only use the internal ebay messaging system by clicking the Ask a question button above.
| Save time & money with FREE Auctiva Image Hosting. |
Auctiva,
The complete eBay Selling Solution.