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Source Description
Celadons, spoons, seals, and bronze mirrors were the most common burial objects in tombs during the Goryeo period (918–1392). Furnishing tombs with an elaborate assemblage of objects was believed to honor and comfort the newly dead. Generally, Goryeo tombs were left untouched until the late 1800s. During the colonial period (1910–45), however, Japanese archaeologists hastily excavated the tombs located in Kaeseong, the former capital of the Goryeo period. Scholars recently have proposed that toward the end of the 14th century, Koreans enjoyed meat-based soups more than any other dishes, explaining why many more spoons than chopsticks were buried in tombs.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
98863
label
Spoon
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
98863
contentType
object
title
Spoon
description
Celadons, spoons, seals, and bronze mirrors were the most common burial objects in tombs during the Goryeo period (918–1392). Furnishing tombs with an elaborate assemblage of objects was believed to honor and comfort the newly dead. Generally, Goryeo tombs were left untouched until the late 1800s. During the colonial period (1910–45), however, Japanese archaeologists hastily excavated the tombs located in Kaeseong, the former capital of the Goryeo period. Scholars recently have proposed that toward the end of the 14th century, Koreans enjoyed meat-based soups more than any other dishes, explaining why many more spoons than chopsticks were buried in tombs.
date
918–1392
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79485844
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 26 cm (10 1/4 in.)
cul
Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
accession
1918.538
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Spoon (청동 수저 [靑銅匙]), 918–1392. Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). Bronze; overall: 26 cm (10 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, General Income Fund, 1918.538
titleInOriginalLanguage
청동 수저 [靑銅匙]
collection
Korean Art
didYouKnow
Bronze spoons are the most common burial items. Scholars have proposed that toward the end of the 1300s, Koreans enjoyed meat-based soups more than any other dishes, explaining why spoons became common household items as well as burial goods.
citations
citation
<em>Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392</em>. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
citation
Horlyck Charlotte. "The Eternal Link: Grave Goods of the Koryŏ Kingdom (918-1392 CE)." <em>Ars Orientalis</em>, no. 44 (2014): 156–179.
citation
Yun, Seong-jae. “The Special Meanings of Spoons and Chopsticks in the Goryeo Dynasty [고려시대 분묘출토 청동수저].” <em>Yeoksa wa silhak</em> (2015): 51–68.
citation
<em>Bronze in Life and Art</em> [삶과 예술 속. 청동 靑銅 이야기] National Cheongju Museum (2016).
citation
Jeong, Eui-do. Changes of Spoons during the Late Goryeo Period [고려후기 숟가락의 변화].” <em>Hanguk jungse gogohak</em> (2017): 139–157.
citation
<em>Goryeo: The Glory of Korea </em>[대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.
citation
Ahn, Kuisook. "The Significance of the Bronze Spoons in the Cleveland Museum of Art." In <em>The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, 국외소재문화재재단, and An Min-hŭi, ed., 274–289. 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: pp. 286–287, fig. 18
creditline
General Income Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:20:28.559000
sourceId
98863
dept
Korean Art
coll
Korean Art
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
74da360f625cb22c