The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of January 16, 2025
Water Ewer for Rituals (Kundika)
1100s
(918–1392)
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.- ?-1986Robert W. Moore, Los Angeles, CA, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art1986-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1992.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 2 (February 1993): 38–79. Mentioned: p. 79 www.jstor.orgGoryeo 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).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=16 January 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1992.141