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Source 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 1100s, however, the kundika was used as aristocrats’ fancy water container for everyday use.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
156127
label
Water Ewer for Rituals (Kundika)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
156127
contentType
object
title
Water Ewer for Rituals (Kundika)
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 1100s, however, the kundika was used as aristocrats’ fancy water container for everyday use.
date
1100s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60761836
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 39.5 cm (15 9/16 in.)
cul
Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
accession
1991.58
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Water Ewer for Rituals (Kundika) (청동 정병 [靑銅淨甁]), 1100s. Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). Bronze; overall: 39.5 cm (15 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of David S. Utterberg, 1991.58
titleInOriginalLanguage
청동 정병 [靑銅淨甁]
collection
Korean Art
didYouKnow
This distinctively shaped vessel is called a <em>kundika </em>in Sanskrit, simply referring to a water bottle.
citations
citation
Choi, Eung-chon. “Craftsmen in Metal Arts in the Goryeo Dynasty [고려시대 金屬工藝의 匠人].” <em>Misulsahak yeongu</em> (2004): 171-192.
citation
Cunningham, Michael R. "Notable Acquisitions." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 78, no. 3 (1991): 63-147.
page_number
Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 133
citation
<em>Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392</em>. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
citation
<em>The spirit of Goryeo in metalcrafts </em>[금속 공예 에 깃든 고려인 의 삶]<em>. </em>Seoul: Jeju National Museum and National Cheongju Museum, 2011.
citation
<em>Bronze in Life and Art</em> [삶과 예술 속. 청동 靑銅 이야기] National Cheongju Museum (2016).
citation
<em>Goryeo: The Glory of Korea </em>[대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.
citation
Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, and 국외소재문화재재단. <em>The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. 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.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 122, no. 88
creditline
Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of David S. Utterberg
updatedAt
2026-06-18 15:02:36.315000
sourceId
156127
dept
Korean Art
coll
Korean Art
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
e8e04cf3cc39ab58