The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 6, 2024

Ornament with Heron and Turtle Design

Ornament with Heron and Turtle Design

1100s
(918–1392)
bronze
Overall: 3.4 x 2.5 cm (1 5/16 x 1 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1917.1044.1
Location: 236 Korean

Did You Know?

This metal ornament is part of a decorative brooch once used to hold clothes together.

Description

Metalworking techniques advanced remarkably during the Goryeo period (918–1392). Sophisticated metal objects with intricate designs were used not only as daily accessories, but also as burial goods for commemorating the dead. Traces of fibers found on the backs of these metal ornaments suggest that they were once used as brooches to hold garments together.
  • ?-1917
    (Yamanaka and Company, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1917-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
    Kim, Moon-ja. "A Study on the Ornaments in Goryeo Dynasty [고려 시대 장신구에 대한 연구]." Journal of Korean Traditional Costume 15, vol. 3 (December 2012): 5-21. www.dbpia.co.kr
    Sin, Myŏng-hŭi, and Kwang-sŏp Kim. Bronze in Life and Art [삶과 예술 속. 청동 靑銅 이야기]. Ch'ungch'ŏng-bukto Ch'ŏngju-si: Kungnip Ch'ŏngju Pangmulgwan [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. 116, no. 79
  • Interpretation of Materiality: Gold (Korean art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 29-October 24, 2021).
    The Other Side of the Story - Korean Gallery 236 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 27, 2020-April 25, 2021).
  • {{cite web|title=Ornament with Heron and Turtle Design|url=false|author=|year=1100s|access-date=06 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1917.1044.1