MEDIEVAL CHINESE MIRRORS FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE STATE MUSEUM OF HISTORY OF UZBEKISTAN

Аннотация

In this article are presented for the first-time mirrors from China which are stored in collection of the State Museum of the history of Uzbekistan (Tashkent). On the basis of the resulted analogies authors determine dating ofmirrors, and also assort symbolics ofimages. Key words: Chinese mirrors, collection, Central Asia, hemispherical protrusion, collection, the StateMuseum of History ofUzbekistan The trade, economic and cultural ties between the peoples of Central Asia and China go back to ancient times. This is also evidenced by numerous finds of Chinese bronze mirrors, which began to be imported into Central Asia especially widely as a result of trade relations from the 2nd century BC. At present, the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan has several Chinese mirrors, most of which are from theHanera and dateback tothe1st century BC. -1st century AD. But in addition to these ancient mirrors, the Museum holds two Chinese mirrors from medieval times. Unfortunately, it is unknown where these two Chinese mirrors were found and where and when they came to themuseum.Most likely, theseexhibits are from pre-1917 collections. Here is adescription of thesemirrors. Of undoubted interest among them is a round mirror with a handle, depicting a musician and boys (fig. 1), Inventory No. 188/128. The mirror is made of yellowish bronze, cast, the handle is half broken off. The mirror is 9 cm in diameter, 0.2-0.5 cm thick, the handle is 2.5 cm long and 1.6cm wide. Thefront side isflat, polished,and served as areflective surface. The handle isedged with arim. 271 Volume 4, issue 2, 2025 Fig.1.Bronzemirror,China,XI-XIIIcc. CollectionoftheStateMuseumofHistoryofUzbekistan At the edge of the mirror there is a narrow protruding smooth rim, it outlines a buried relief image, on which in the upper part on the right side there is an overhanging branch with eleven fruits of a peach or apple tree. Under the tree are three small figures of children, apparently boys, picking up fallen fruit from the ground. The first child - below, closer to the handle of the mirror 272 Volume 4, issue 2, 2025 - is shown kneeling and picking fruit. The other two children are shown full-length: one of them is standing in profile, with his left arm perpendicular to his torso and his right arm raised at the level of his head; the other is shown in front, with his arms raised up. Clothing on the figures of children consists of trousers and girt shirts. On the left side of the mirror is a seated man with his legs half-bent, his left leg tucked under him and his right leg held out in front. The man's head is turned to the left of him, towards the boys; on his head is an oval cap; a wedge-shaped beard is marked on his face, the facial features are not traceable. His arms are bent at the elbows and folded across his chest. With his right hand he is clasping some conical musical instrument resembling a harp. On the left at waist level are two fluttering ribbons. In the background in the distancesomelandscape isshown in relief with brokenlines. The second mirror (Fig. 2) is round, cast, diameter 10.2 cm, thickness 0.2-0.4 cm; Inventory No. 188/133. Fig.2.Bronzemirror,China,XI-XIIIcc. CollectionoftheStateMuseumofHistoryofUzbekistan The mirror is deformed. The front side is flat, polished, it served as a reflective surface. In the centre of the back side, apparently, there was a hemispherical protrusion - handle with a horizontal hole for hanging (the middle of the mirror, where the handle-loop was located, is broken out). The centre of the mirror is flanked by three relief smooth circles 3.8, 4.8 and 6.3 cm in diameter, two of which are strongly projecting, sloping, and one, located between them, is flat, made in low relief. Then there is a circular band of inscription with poorly discernible, almost 273 Volume 4, issue 2, 2025 erased hieroglyphic signs, framed onboth sides bynarrowrelief lines. The rim isnarrow, smooth, sloping. There is alayer ofoxideonthe surface. Let us consider the questions of typology, territorial affiliation and chronological definition of theabove-described mirrors. An exact copy of our first Chinese mirror comes from South Siberia, from the Minusinsk Basin. This mirror was found in the village of Kapterevo, Krasnoyarsk Krai and is stored in the local history museum of Minusinsk;it is made ofyellow metal, diameter is 8.7cm [Lubo-Lesnichenko, 1975,p.75, fig. 63,No. 153]. Fig.3.Bronzemirror,China,XI-XIIIcc. CollectionoftheMuseumofLocalHistoryMinusinsk(Russia) The absolute similarity of these mirrors - even their handles are broken off in the same way - allows us to assume that they were made not only by one master, but maybe even cast in the same mould. E.I. Lubo-Lesnichenko connects the scene depicted on the mirror with benevolent symbolism, namely with the wish of longevity (peaches) and numerous male offspring (playing 274 Volume 4, issue 2, 2025 boys). Having penetrated from India to China in Tang times, these images became widesprea