Comparison Of Korean And Chinese Bronze Mirror With An Emphasis On Social Class

Comparison of Korean and Chinese Bronze Mirror with an Emphasis on Social Class

—A Visual Analysis

You You

ARTH 3013, Spring 2018

May 1, 2018

One of the Korean Bronze mirrors displayed at the Minnesota Institute of Art that will be

analyzed in this paper dates back to the 12

and 13

century. Korean Bronze Mirror shares great

resemblance with Chinese bronze mirrors from the pre-modern time. They are both made of

bronze and serve the same practical purpose. However, the Chinese bronze mirror which will be

discussed in this paper is from the 8

century. One would ask since Korean Bronze age came

much later

than Chinese Bronze age

, were people from the Chinese region still using those

bronze mirrors at the time of Korean Bronze age? What do we already know about the first

contact between those two regions? How did a routine item like a bronze mirror appear in high

similarity in Korean culture at a much later time? Questions like these will be answered later in

this paper.

The use of art in different forms helps to illuminate the key historical and cultural events

of different time periods. Considering Korean and Chinese routine items in the home brings to

question the purpose and significance of Mirrors in these two cultures. With the emphasis on the

study of symbolization of bronze object and association with social classes in the two cultures

under different historical context, this paper will analyze those objects’ physical structure, the

period’s style or stylistic form and literary description. Considering its historical context, one

realizes the similarities and differences between these two cultures and the significance of the

artistic designs.

"Prehistoric Korea." Prehistoric Korea - New World Encyclopedia. Accessed April 30, 2018.

http://web.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Prehistoric_Korea. The website note that Korean bronze age took

place at 800-300 B.C.E

Department of Asian, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Shang and Zhou Dynasties: The Bronze Age of China |

Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art

History. Accessed April 30, 2018. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shzh/hd_shzh.htm. The website note

that Chinese bronze age began at around 2000 B.C, and lasted about 2000 years.

Abundant evidence supports the hypothesis of historical contact between China and

Korean peninsula back in the Pre-modern period. The time of the bronze’s first appearance led to

the creation of bronze culture in the Korean peninsula. Excavated Liaoning style bronze relic,

bronze daggers, and mirrors, for example, supports the historical contact dates back as early as

the Mumun period (1300-300 B.C.).

Many archaeological materials originated from the Chinese

Han Dynasty were excavated in the Korean peninsula as well (such as lacquerware, jade, and

Han seals).

Since the early contact with Liaoning China introduced Korean bronze culture, the

bronze object created in Korean peninsula would likely share a high resemblance with the

Chinese bronze object. However, the question remains, how much of Chinese influence did it

draw on Korean material art and how much of it remains during the 12

and 13

century?

The two mirrors share many similar characteristics regarding the form, composition,

scale, and materials. One would be able to recognize the bronze material at first glance. One

typical bronze characteristic is its metallic material primarily covered in green rust which

presents the antiquity of the bronze objects. They both have the back of the mirror on display and

the reflexive side on the back. Additionally, the shape of the targeted object is also contributive

on final identification. Asian bronze mirrors date back to Chinese Neolithic Period, are mostly in

a rounded shape and sometimes in a squared shape, rarely others

The Korean mirror displays a rounded design not only on the shape of the object but also

the graphical image on the back. The central circular image is being encircled by larger circular

Song-Nai, Rhee, and Choi Mong-Lyong. "Emergence of Complex Society in Prehistoric

Korea." Journal of World Prehistory6, no. 1 (1992): 51-95. doi:10.1007/bf00997585.

Pai, Hyung Il. "Culture Contact and Culture Change: The Korean Peninsula and Its Relations

with the Han Dynasty Commandery of Lelang." World Archaeology23, no. 3 (1992): 306-19.

doi:10.1080/00438243.1992.9980182.

vvvv

bands and the bands keep encircling smaller ones until reaching the edge. But on the Chinese

mirror, the central rounded relief is encircled by square and then multiple circular bands after

that. Ancient Chinese characters are present on one of the band. The Minneapolis Institute of Art

provided a piece of description for the Korean bronze mirror “This mirror is a veritable map of

the Korean cosmos with a central celestial frog surrounded by the divine animals of the four

directions—the White Tiger of the West, Black Tortoise of the North, Azure Dragon of the East,

and Vermillion Phoenix of the South.”

This information entails that the iconography on the back

of the mirror exemplifies a ritual or cultural meaning beyond simple decoration. Same with the

Chinese bronze mirror, the Minneapolis Institute of Art also provided a short description stated

that “The back of this mirror is decorated with ‘TLV’ motifs that relate to Han astrological

instruments (shi-pan), as well as to the animals of the four directions: dragon, phoenix, tiger, and

tortoise with snake.”

It is not so surprising that both mirrors display the similar idea of North,

South, East and West and also the representational animal graphics or zodiac.

As they display high resemblance on the overall appearance, they also share some

differences in cultural meanings behind the artistic design of the mirror. The Korean mirror first

existed during the 12

and 13

century, which refers back to the period of Goryeo kingdom.

this time,

The bronze mirror was a sign of prestige and authority to the Korean people and it was mostly

found in the king’s palaces and senior people in the King’s Counsel. This created a distinction

between the ruling class and the normal citizens. The prestige associated with the bronze mirror

MIA

MIA. …. Why they were designed that way… Cultural context, historical context..

Korean peninsula were colonized dated back as early as the 180 A.D..

Liaoning

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could even allow the peasants to be near it. The mirror was regarded as a sign of leadership and

anyone who owned it was considered to be rich. The peasants in Korea also revered the mirror

just as they did to their leaders. However, this created some form of intimidation among the

normal citizens who could not afford to acquire such an asset; the ruling class preferred that the

presence of the mirror would on their behalf.

By this we imply that the presence of the mirror was enough to tell the kind of person the owner

of the house was. This asset was highly treasured and it was always secured. Inferiority complex

was created among the citizens because they begun to look down upon themselves and this

created a very huge gap between them and the leaders of the nation. The magnitude of this

bronze mirrors also made people to fight for senior positions in the King’s Counsel so as to

ensure that they held a position that was recognizable one that would link them to prestige and

end up instilling fear among the people. The most ironical part of this is that the bronze mirrors

catalyzed squabble instead of promoting unity in the nation and this is because most people were

power hungry and this was the very least thing that could ever be expected from the leaders but

unfortunately this was the case and this made royalty to suffer a dent because there was division

in the various groups.

On the contrary, the Chinese held the bronze mirrors as sacrosanct assets that were viewed to be

powerful. These mirrors were the reason for unity in amongst the Chinese people unlike the

Japanese these mirrors brought people together and they were the source of unity among them.

The mirrors were believed to have spiritual connotations on them which made them to be

powerful. There are various things that the Chinese believed that the mirror would and this is like

seeing what the future was like. The mirrors are believed to provide direction and reflection of

what the future would entail. Therefore the Chinese seers and spiritual leaders used the bronze

mirrors to look at the people’s stars and they were also instrumental during war because they

would tell whether China would win or lose.

The 8

onwards sees china as a country that develops not only in the political domain but also in

the spiritual. We say this because the 8

century marks beginning of high profile witchcraft in

china. The development of witchcraft is attributed to the presence of these mirrors which could

sermon people via calling their names and they would appear on the mirror. Apart from being

used as a source of spiritual power they were also a symbol of authority among the ruling class

and this implies that anyone who stood against a ruler was in deep trouble because he or she was

to encounter a spiritual force that would fight on behalf of the ruler. This made people to revere

the rulers because no one wanted a spell against their life; therefore it was paramount for them to

do the right thing.

The bronze mirror was also one of the most essential signs of ruler ship that was mandatory for a

leader to have. This was considered so as to create validity in the position of the rulers among the

Chinese. Before and after colonization the Chinese had strict traditions which could not be

subverted in any case whatsoever. This helped China to build a system where there was total

respect for the rulers and his counsel. The fatal punishments that came as consequences after

disobeying orders also instilled discipline among the citizens. The peace and respect of authority

was all created by the presence of the bronze mirror because a leader has to have a sign that

indicated he is a leader. The need for spiritual guidance and healing also encouraged the use of

the bronze mirror which was one of the most powerful assets at that particular moment. The

rulers also considered the mirror as an instrument of communication to their gods thus they used

it to plead for help and mercy from the gods that they believed in. The study reveals that the

powerful nature of the Chinese people is sourced right from the bronze mirror. The Koreans are

not recorded for such gimmicks like the Chinese but the account about them is that they highly

respected the bronze mirror therefore there was need to ensure that it is recognized and given the

respect that it deserves. This creates a cultural distinction between the Chinese and Koreans.

Through the study we also learn that the Koreans have no much regards to spirituality but they

are serious disciples of their culture and nothing can convince them to abandon it. The Chinese

on the other hand uphold both their culture and spirituality and from a close look on the relation

between the two countries proves that Korea fear the Chinese people. The bronze mirror also

assisted the Chinese in conducting healing on people and this includes the Koreans. The Koreans

had no doctors at this particular time and there were very few who had a perfect skill medicine

whereas china had many doctors who treated with herbal medicine and also spiritual powers.

Therefore Chinese doctors were considered to have perfected the medical skill through the use of

the bronze mirrors together with herbs. This led to a dent in how the Chinese and Koreans related

because the people from China had now considered themselves to be more powerful than

Koreans and this brought about an attitude of arrogance amongst most Chinese especially their

leaders. The leaders of China saw themselves as the most superior people because the Koreans

considered them to have the highest level of technology in all issues that concerned life. This is

the factor that brought the birth of a rift between the Koreans and the Chinese despite all the

similarities they share in regards to culture, spirituality and momentous issues of a country. The

furniture models in the houses of the Chinese and the Koreans was a big similarity factor which

appreciated the fact this two countries shared the same origin but the desire of one being superior

than the other is what led to the ideological differences among the two countries.

The bronze mirrors were a borrowed idea from the Chinese to the Koreans. Therefore the origin

of the bronze mirrors has its roots in China. China has hidden mysteries that are found in the

origin of the mirror. This is what has made Korea and China to use the same mirror differently

because there is a secret that China was not willing to release to Korea. This depicts the true

nature of human beings who give an idea but still manipulate other people using the same idea.

This is what gave China a high standing in the political domain because it had a say in the

political and spiritual sector of its country and also it neighboring nations. The nations that

surrounded China lived in fear because they believed that provoking China could never be the

best option in the face of difficulty, dialogue was the approach used to solve any differences

between China and Korea.

The rulers of China were not only respected within their borders but also outside. They were

believed to have a say in that region and this is because of what they came up in the early years;

Park Young-soon, History of our old house, Yulhwadang, 1999

the bronze mirror. The mirror represented a true sign of authority to people who even never

believed in it. The magnitude it carried did not only affect people but also nations that desired to

know what the mirror was all about. Japan stood at a higher level as compared to other nations

that were below china because they had access to the bronze mirror even though they could not

use it in a similar way as the Chinese. This makes us to comprehend that the major thing that

brought a distinction between these two nations was superiority which was attributed to the

bronze mirror. However the similarities are many than the differences in these two nations and

that is why they have so much in common and this includes the facial structure which might

make one to confuse a Korean for a Chinese.

Culture provides the backbone of a society and therefore without proper virtues and stipulated

laws, it is impossible to unite people. There has to be a person (Supreme Being), a place or a

thing that people in a nation owe their loyalty to. This is what creates discipline in the manner

via which human beings live.

Park Young-soon, History of our old house, Yulhwadang, 1999, P1

Bibliography

"Prehistoric Korea." Prehistoric Korea - New World Encyclopedia. Accessed April 30, 2018.

http://web.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Prehistoric_Korea. The website note that Korean

bronze age took place at 800-300 B.C.E

Department of Asian, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Shang and Zhou Dynasties: The

Bronze Age of China | Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of

Art." The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Accessed April 30, 2018.

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shzh/hd_shzh.htm. The website note that Chinese bronze

age began at around 2000 B.C, and lasted about 2000 years.

Song-Nai, Rhee, and Choi Mong-Lyong. "Emergence of Complex Society in Prehistoric

Korea." Journal of World Prehistory6, no. 1 (1992): 51-95. doi:10.1007/bf00997585.

Pai, Hyung Il. "Culture Contact and Culture Change: The Korean Peninsula and Its Relations

with the Han Dynasty Commandery of Lelang." World Archaeology23, no. 3 (1992): 306-19.

doi:10.1080/00438243.1992.9980182.

Vvvv

MIA. …. Why they were designed that way… Cultural context, historical context..

Korean peninsula were colonized dated back as early as the 180 A.D..

Liaoning

ffff

Park Young-soon, History of our old house, Yulhwadang, 1999

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