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So here is the secret to bronze mirrors.
Step one - put it on a flat surface, (with the plain surface facing down).
Real examples are convex on the plain (mirror) side. ie, they do not sit flat, they rock. Occasionally you will find a super rare concave example.
All others are copies.
The funny part here, is there are so may copies floating around, that some people think if they are not perfectly flat on the plain side, then are fake (ie, they've got it 100% backwards).
So put the plain surface of your mirror on a flat surface, and see if its convex or not! IF yes, you've got a real one - then its a case of using the quality of the casting and design to estimate the date.
Sometimes the mirrored surface still has enough of a reflection to see yourself. The first one I ever found was like that (many years ago, at a local auction house - sold as an ash tray!)
ps, its very hard to cast a perfectly convex surface (that is what makes real antique bronze mirrors special). Likewise, its easy to cast a flat surface, then sand/polish it smooth and flat.
If the convex surface was not perfect, then the reflection would be distorted. Its the mirrored surface, rather than the decorated surface, that makes real chinese bronze mirrors special. Your typical mirror copy is flat on the mirrored surface (as discussed above), with some acid sprinkled on it to give the appearance of patina from having been buried (the real ones were almost always discovered by digging up graves)
@avionsunantiques I did as you suggested and put the mirror on a flat surface. And yes... it rocks slightly to every direction not quite half a milimeter though.
with Best Regards...
Carsten
@ Avionsunantiques. Are you sure it's that simple? Many years ago I examined some mirrors from a dealers table that were brought in from China and were violently scratched on the backside. I asked him: Why did they scratch them? And he replied: To see if the patina goes deep. I've never heard about the convex vs. flat surface aspect before.
I don't own any mirrors myself but would like to collect them in the future. I own many archaic jades and they look very nice when exhibited together with archaic bronze of which I also own a few. Unfortunately I don't know if these bronze items are authentic or not, only that they appear to be correct in their various aspects. It was my understanding that more advanced tests would have to done for authentication.
Yes it is that simple.
1/2 a mm however is unlikely to be the result of a convex surface.
I've got 5 in total, 4 are really good from the Han or Tang, and one more recent - likely Qing Three are on my ebay page. If you look at the ebay pictures from the side, you will see what a convex mirror looks like, side on, when on a flat surface. Depending on the diameter of the mirror, you should expect the mirror's flat surface to be 4 or 5 mm above a flat surface at the edge.
As for scratching mirrors to see how deep the patina goes - thats all rubbish. The only reason you will find scratching on the back of an authentic mirror is if it was really heavily oxidized while it was underground. I've got a Han bronze belt hook that was discovered during dam building, it took a lot of tool work to remove the oxidation and get down to see the actual hook.
Almost every mirror you will see for sale presently will be fake (20th century copy - some from as early as 1900) I havn't seen a real one in an auction that I've attended for at least 2 decades.
A number of real ones were discovered when China built its hydro electric dams, and many of these came home with western engineers. There just are not many real ones around. Most ended up getting buried with their owners centuries ago.
Any time you see a chinese bronze mirror, put the flat side on a table - it is that simple (maybe because those who fake them grew up in the age of glass mirrors, and incorrect assumed they should be flat lol).
@avionsunantiques Ok thank you a lot with your insight...
I'll put it up for auction somewhere when I can't stand looking at it anymore 🤭
with Best Regards...
Carsten
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A free Asian art discussion board and Asian art message board for dealers and collectors of art and antiques from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the rest of Asia. Linked to all of the BidAmount Asian art reference areas, with videos from plcombs Asian Art and Bidamount on YouTube. Sign up also for the weekly BidAmount newsletter and catalogs of active eBay listing of Chinese porcelain, bronze, jades, robes, and paintings.
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Bonhams are international auctioneers of fine Chinese and Japanese art. We specialise in rare Imperial and Export Chinese ceramics and works of art, as well as Japanese ceramics, fine and decorative works of art from the Neolithic Period to the 20th century. View on map
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