Ca. 618-907 AD. A discoid bronze mirror with Bagua (Eight Trigrams) low relief patterns arranged around a central rondel containing a small loop for suspension. The mirror is further embellished with a decorative outer border formed of multiple rams standing one behind the other. The Bagua is an octagonal diagram featuring a different trigram on each of its sides, each corresponding, at the same time, to a philosophical concept, a direction, a state of nature, and a member of the family. It is a fundamental philosophical concept of ancient China used in Taoism and the Yi Jing, but also in other areas of Chinese cultures, such as feng shui, martial arts, or navigation.Size: L:140mm / W:140mm ; 388gProvenance: Private UK collection; From an old British collection formed in the 1990s.