The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 26, 2024

Water Ewer for Rituals (Kundika)

Water Ewer for Rituals (Kundika)

1100s
Outer diameter: 13.7 cm (5 3/8 in.); Overall: 33 cm (13 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This distinctively shaped vessel is called a kundika in Sanskrit, simply referring to a water bottle.

Description

Known as kundika in Sanskrit, this distinctively shaped vessel served to purify a sacred space and to invoke a deity. In Korean Buddhist art, it appears primarily as an attribute of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Gwaneum in Korean). By the 12th century, however, it came to serve as aristocrats’ fancy water container for everyday use.
  • ?-1986
    Robert W. Moore, Los Angeles, CA, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1986-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
    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.123, no. 89
  • Object in Focus: Kundika. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 15-September 14, 2003).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; July 15 - September 14, 2003. " Object in Focus: Kundika "
    Signs of Affection: Gifts Honoring the Museum's 75th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 1992-January 3, 1993).
  • {{cite web|title=Water Ewer for Rituals (Kundika)|url=false|author=|year=1100s|access-date=26 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1992.141