The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 22, 2025
Box and Cover
918–1392
(918–1392)
Diameter: 3.7 cm (1 7/16 in.); Overall: 1.2 cm (1/2 in.)
Gift of John L. Severance 1918.424.a
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
This 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 color powder, rouge and eyebrow gel for makeup, this small container was one of the standard goods that furnished elites' tombs. Goryeo-period 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 make-up 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.- {{cite web|title=Box and Cover|url=false|author=|year=918–1392|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1918.424.a