Nov 20, 2008
Nov 20, 2008

Ring

Ring

금동 반지 (金銅斑指)

918–1392

Bronze gilt

Outer diameter: 1.9 cm (3/4 in.)

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1917.1042

Location

Did you know?

The Japanese antique dealer Yamanaka & Company, which opened its branches in New York (1895) and Boston (1899), sold small Korean archaeological materials such as this bronze ring to American collectors in the early 20th century.

Description

Both everyday objects and ornaments such as this ring were standard burial goods for the period. Furnishing tombs with an elaborate assemblage of objects was believed to honor and comfort the newly dead. Generally, Goryeo tombs were left untouched until the late 19th century. During the colonial period (1910–45), however, Japanese archaeologists aggressively excavated the tombs located in Kaeseong, the former capital of the Goryeo period. It's highly possibly this bronze ring came from one of those excavated tomb sites.

See also
Collection: 
Korean Art
Department: 
Korean Art
Type of artwork: 
Metalwork
Medium: 
Bronze gilt

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