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Box

918–1392

Korea, Goryeo dynasty

(918–1392)
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Medium
earthenware
Measurements
Diameter: 19.4 cm (7 5/8 in.); Overall: 12.7 cm (5 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Collection 1916.1186.a
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

This lidded ceramic container was used to store either incense or cosmetics.

Description

Celadons, spoons, seals, and bronze mirrors were the most common burial objects in tombs during the Goryeo period (918–1392). Once used to contain colored powder, rouge, and eyebrow gel for makeup, this small container was one of the standard goods that furnished elites' tombs. Both women and men used the grain powder of rice or millet for whitening their skin, safflower extract for rouge, and plant ash or soot for eyebrow gel. Yet, natural-looking makeup seems to have been the most favorable one in Korea according to the travelogue by Xu Jing (1091–1153), the Chinese diplomat who visited Korea in 1123.
A round earthenware vessel features a shallow interior coated in muted, pale green glaze. Viewed from above, a thick unglazed rim encircles the center in warm reddish-brown. The green surface is pitted and granular, punctuated by dark specks. Light-colored patches scatter across the rough, irregular rim. Shadows pool at the base of the hollow form, accentuating its circular depth against a neutral gray background.

Box

918–1392

Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)

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