Mirror, 1400s-1500s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Japanese ArtThe Japanese used chrysanthemums as decora
Mirror, 1400s-1500s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Japanese ArtThe Japanese used chrysanthemums as decorative elements on mirrors. In the Heian period, a chrysanthemum with cranes or long-tailed birds was a common motif. Later, in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, chrysanthemum designs were divided into three patterns with different symbolic associations: Chrysanthemum with Cranes represented longevity; Water Flowing suggested longevity as well as the Noh drama Kikujido, or Chrysanthemum Boy; and East Fence alluded to the poem “Drinking Wine” by Tao Yuanming (AD 365-427). Here, the mirror featuring Buddhist iconography (kyojo) and a chrysanthemum design on the back shows that the flower was also appreciated in the context of Buddhism in the Kamakura period.Size: Diameter: 11.3 cm (4 7/16 in.)Medium: bronzehttps://clevelandart.org/art/1917.646 -- source link
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