The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Spoon with Fish-Tail Design

Spoon with Fish-Tail Design

918–1392
(918–1392)
bronze
Overall: 28.4 cm (11 3/16 in.)
Gift of John L. Severance 1921.667
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Bronze spoons are the most common burial item. Scholars have proposed that toward the end of the 14th century, Koreans enjoyed meat-based soups more than any other dishes, explaining why spoons became common household items as well as burial goods.

Description

Many of Goryeo period spoons like this one feature a curved handle that splits into a jagged fishtail design. This fishtail design is not unique to Korea; it was also widely used in the area under the rule of two non-Han Chinese states: Liao (907–1125) and Jin (1115–1234). These seemingly ordinary objects testify to exciting material interactions between the Goryeo dynasty and non-Han Chinese northern states, which were often omitted from the official records.
  • ?–1921
    (Dr. Alfred Irving Ludlow [1875–1961], Cleveland, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1921–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
    Horlyck, Charlotte. "The Eternal Link: Grave Goods of the Koryŏ Kingdom (918-1392 CE)." Ars Orientalis, no. 44 (2014): 156–179. www.jstor.org
    Yun, Seong-jae. “The Special Meanings of Spoons and Chopsticks in the Goryeo Dynasty [고려시대 분묘출토 청동수저].” Yeoksa wa silhak (2015): 51–68. www.dbpia.co.kr
    Bronze in Life and Art [삶과 예술 속. 청동 靑銅 이야기]. Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do: National Cheongju Museum, 2016.
    Jeong, Eui-do. Changes of Spoons during the Late Goryeo Period [고려후기 숟가락의 변화].” Hanguk jungse gogohak (2017): 139–157. www.dbpia.co.kr
    Goryeo: The Glory of Korea [대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.
    McCormick, Sooa. "North of the Border: A preview of the Korean gallery's new display, coming in January.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 58, no. 6 (November/December 2018): 16–17. Reproduced: P. 17; Mentioned: P. 16, 17.
    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. 98
    Ahn, Kuisook. "The Significance of the Bronze Spoons in the Cleveland Museum of Art." In The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, 국외소재문화재재단, and An Min-hŭi, ed., 274-289. First edition, English ed. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Series, 16. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2021. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 286-287, fig. 17 & 18
  • {{cite web|title=Spoon with Fish-Tail Design|url=false|author=|year=918–1392|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.667