The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Knife Sheath

Knife Sheath

1100s
(918–1392)
Gilt silver (body) and brass (trefoil-shaped ring)
length: 21.7 cm (8 9/16 in.)
J.H. Wade Trust Fund 2022.38
Location: 236 Korean

Did You Know?

This 12th-century silver-gilt knife sheath is meant to be a pendent to a belt as a luxury ornament.

Description

Made by rolling a flat piece of silver plate, this knife sheath is decorated on each side with oval panels, including two larger middle panels showing an image of rising dragons with ring-punched scales. The circular upper panels bear the image of seated phoenixes. The flat bottom is engraved with a pair of fish, symbolizing harmonious unity. The trefoil-shaped ring attached to the tip of the sheath allows a string to connect it as a pendant to a belt. In medieval Korea, a miniature sheath such as this was considered an important fashion item, especially for elite members of the ruling class.
  • (Yamanaka, Chicago, IL, sold to Stephen Junkunc III)
    1940s–1978
    István “Stephen" Junkunc III [1904–1978], by descent to his family
    1978–2021
    Junkunc Family Collection
    March 18, 2021
    (Christie’s New York, Important Chinese Art from the Junkunc Collection, March 18, 2021, lot 619, sold to Sebastian Izzard)
    March 18, 2021–2022
    (Sebastian Izzard, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2022–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Kim, Eun-ae. "A Study of Repoussé Works of Goryeo [고려시대 타출공예연구]." Hanguk misulsahakhoe. (2007): 31–72. www.dbpia.co.kr
    Bak, Jiyeong, Jihyeon Gim, Sora Jeong, Yuni Gim, and Minjeong Bak.고려 금속공예의 이해 [Understanding the Goryeo Metalwork]. Daejeon: Gungnip Munhwajae Yeonguso, 2020.
    McCormick, Sooa Im. “Knife Sheath: Glittering gift as a signifying accessory.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 62, no. 4 (December 2022): 27. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 27.
    "Apollo Awards 2022." Apollo: The International Art Magazine, Jan 2023, Vol. 197, Issue 715, pp. 43–69. Reproduced: p. 60
  • Material and Immaterial in Korean Modern and Contemporary Art (Korean art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 28, 2023-February 25, 2024).
    Old and New in Korean Art (Korean art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 28, 2022-April 23, 2023).
  • {{cite web|title=Knife Sheath|url=false|author=|year=1100s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.38