The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 18, 2024
Pigment Box (lid)
918–1392
(918–1392)
Diameter: 9 cm (3 9/16 in.); Overall: 3.9 cm (1 9/16 in.)
Gift of John L. Severance 1928.165.b
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 colored powder, rouge, and eyebrow gel for makeup, this small container was one of the standard goods that furnished elites' tombs. Both 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 Korean according to the travelogue by Xu Jing (1091-1153), the Chinese diplomat who visited Korea in 1123.- (Dr. A. I. Ludlow, Cleveland).
- {{cite web|title=Pigment Box (lid)|url=false|author=|year=918–1392|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1928.165.b