Item number: X62

Year: 141 BC – AD 23

Material: Bronze

Size: 80.7 x 80.7 x 9.2 mm

Weight: 107.83 g

Provenance: Guang Ya Zhai 2008

This is a bronze mirror dating to the Western Han Dynasty, which served as a utilitarian artefact interred as a burial good.

The reflective surface of the mirror is plain and unadorned, completely covered with cuprite corrosion. At the center of the reverse side is a large, highly prominent hemispherical boss, resting upon a circular boss base. The periphery of this base is encircled by eight inward-facing arc patterns, with eight “𖦹” symbols interspersed between the base and the arcs. Beyond this configuration are two concentric bands of oblique parallel lines; positioned between these two bands is an inscription reading “見日之光，長不相忘” (Beholding the light of the sun, may we never forget one another for a long time). The eight characters are separated from one another by “𖦹” symbols, executed in an elongated script that is neither clerical nor seal script, featuring numerous abbreviated brushstrokes. Surrounding the outermost band, the rim of the mirror forms a relatively broad, unornamented circular border.

Inscriptions on this category of Han mirrors also include variants such as “見日之光，天下大明” (Beholding the light of the sun, the world is brightly illuminated), “見日之光，長毋相忘” (Beholding the light of the sun, may we never forget one another for a long time), and “見日之光，長夫毋忘” (Beholding the light of the sun, may husband and wife never forget each other). Owing to their text and the morphology surrounding the boss base, these artefacts are classified as “mirrors with riguang inscription & arc patterns”. They constitute the second most frequently excavated type among Han mirrors and were predominantly prevalent throughout the northern Yellow River basin.

The utilization of mirrors in China can be traced back earliest to the Qijia Culture in the Gansu region, spanning approximately 2400 to 1600 BC. In historical texts, the earliest record dates back to the 21st year of Duke Zhuang of Lu (673 BC), which notes that “when the Earl of Zheng entertained the King, the King presented him with the queen’s ribbon-mirror.” Commentators have glossed this “ribbon-mirror” (panjian) as a mirror attached to a sash for personal wear. Progressing into the Han Dynasty, the aesthetic shifted away from the thin, delicate, and intricate styles of previous eras; background decorations were reduced, and the physical forms became thicker, establishing a simple and concise style alongside the widespread emergence of inscriptions. By the late Han period, inscriptions gradually superseded decorative motifs to become the primary component of the design layout.

The alloy proportions of bronze mirrors from the Han Dynasty were relatively stable, consisting of high-tin bronze. The composition comprises approximately 66–70 per cent copper, 23–24 per cent tin, and 4–6 per cent lead. These objects were typically manufactured through a single or double casting process, followed by quenching for structural reinforcement, grinding, and polishing. Within the category of sunlight mirrors with arc patterns, there exists a type known as the “light-penetrating mirror” (magic mirror). Shen Kuo of the Northern Song Dynasty observed: “There exist in the world light-penetrating mirrors… when the mirror receives the sunlight, its reverse inscriptions and twenty characters are all projected onto the walls of the house, perfectly distinct.” This description corresponds with a Han Dynasty sunlight mirror with arc patterns excavated in AD 1953, wherein reflected light can project the image of the mirror’s reverse side. The underlying mechanism relies on minute deformations across the reflective surface, which cause the concentration and dispersion of the reflected light; the dispersed areas appear darker, whilst the concentrated areas appear brighter. Regarding the precise cause, scholarly opinions diverge: Shen Kuo of the Northern Song Dynasty posited that it resulted from variations in thermal expansion and contraction across sections of differing thickness, whereas others have attributed it to the scraping and shaving processes or the inlaying of copper material.

物件編號: X62

年代: 約公元前 141 – 公元 23 年

材料: 青銅

尺寸: 80.7 x 80.7 x 9.2 mm

重量: 107.83 g

來源: 廣雅齋 2008

這是一面青銅鏡，來自西漢，為殉葬的隨身日用器。

鏡面光素，滿布紅鏽。鏡背中央為大且高凸的圓鈕，下承圓形鈕座，紐座外圍有八道內向連弧紋，紐座與連弧紋間有八個「𖦹」符號。其外有兩道斜紋條帶環，二環之間有銘文「見日之光，長不相忘」，八字間以「𖦹」符號相隔，字體瘦長，非隸非篆，筆劃多有減省。環外鏡緣為較寬的無紋圈帶。

該類漢鏡銘文亦有「見日之光，天下大明」、「見日之光，長毋相忘」、「見日之光，長夫毋忘」，因其銘文與鈕座外圍形制而被歸類於「日光連弧紋鏡」，為漢鏡中出土次多者，主要流行於北方黃河流域一帶。

中國對於鏡的使用最早可以追溯到公元前2400至1600年左右甘肅地區的齊家文化，史籍的紀載則可以追溯到魯莊公二十一年(公元前673年)，其時「鄭伯之享王也，王以后之鞶鑒予之」，有注家釋義，鞶鑒為繫帶之鏡，以隨身佩帶。發展至漢代，一改薄巧細密之風，減省地章紋飾，形制增厚，形成樸素簡明的風格，並開始廣泛出現銘文。至漢末，銘文逐漸取代紋飾，成為圖樣的主體。

漢代銅鏡的合金比例較為穩定，為高錫青銅。銅約含66-70%，錫約含23-24%，鉛約含4-6%。通常為一次或二次澆注而成，再經焠火強化，研磨等工序。日光連弧紋鏡中，有一種「透光鏡」，北宋沈恬稱：「世有透光鑒……以鑒承日光，則背文及二十字，皆透在屋壁上，了了分明。」該描述與公元1953年出土的漢代日光連弧紋鏡相符，反射的光線可呈現鏡背的圖像。丞相原理為鏡面的細微變形，導致反射光的聚焦與分散，散者處較暗，聚者處較亮。成因則眾說紛紜，北宋沈恬認為是厚薄處在熱漲冷縮時的幅度差異造成，也有人認為是切削或補綴銅質而成。