The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 26, 2025
Box and Cover with Inlaid Chrysanthemum and Scroll Design
1200s
(918–1392)
Body: 2.2 x 7.5 cm (7/8 x 2 15/16 in.); Overall: 3.9 cm (1 9/16 in.)
Gift of John L. Severance 1928.167
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 makeup 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.- (Dr. A. I. Ludlow [1875–1961], Cleveland, OH, sold to John L. Severance)?–1928John L. Severance [1863–1936], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art1928–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.Lee, Young-hee. "The Study on Techniques and their Interrelations among Craft Arts of the Goryeo Dynasty [고려시대 공예기법 연구 상호관련성을 중심으로]." Misulsa hakbo 22 (2004): 133-170.A Chinese traveler in medieval Korea : Xu Jing's illustrated account of the Xuanhe embassy to Koryo. Translated by Sem Vermeersch. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2016.Goryeo: The Glory of Korea [대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.Sparkles of Jade: Goryeo Celadon [高麗青磁 : ヒスイのきらめき]. Ōsaka: Ōsaka: Shiritsu Tōyō Tōji Bijutsukan, 2018.
- {{cite web|title=Box and Cover with Inlaid Chrysanthemum and Scroll Design|url=false|author=|year=1200s|access-date=26 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1928.167