The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

Belt Buckle

Belt Buckle

1100s
(918–1392)
bronze gilt
Overall: 4.8 x 5.5 cm (1 7/8 x 2 3/16 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1917.1022
Location: not on view

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 belt buckle to American collectors in the early 20th century.

Description

Metallurgy advanced remarkably in the Goryeo period (918-1392), explaining why a large quantity of sophisticated metal artifacts with delicate designs were used not only as daily accessories but also as burial goods. Belt buckles like this one were attached to leather belts.
  • Choi, Eung-chon. “Metal Arts in the Late Goryeo Period [고려후기의 금속공예].” Kangjwa misulsa (2004): 125-156. www.dbpia.co.kr
    Choi, Eung-chon. “Craftsmen in Metal Arts in the Goryeo Dynasty [고려시대 金屬工藝의 匠人].” Misulsahak yeongu (2004): 171-192. www.dbpia.co.kr
    Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
    Kim, Jae-yul. "Review on Burial Aspect of Belt Ornaments excavated from Tombs in Gyeongju during the Epoch of the Three Kingdoms [삼국시대 경주지역 고분 출토 대금구의 부장양상 검토]." Sillasahakpo 32 (December 2014): 263-305. www.dbpia.co.kr
    Bronze in Life and Art [삶과 예술 속. 청동 靑銅 이야기] National Cheongju Museum (2016).
    Goryeo: The Glory of Korea [대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.
    Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, and 국외소재문화재재단. The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Edited by An Min-hŭi. First edition, English ed. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Series, 16. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2021. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 114, no. 73
  • {{cite web|title=Belt Buckle|url=false|author=|year=1100s|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1917.1022