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Source Description
Many of Goryeo period spoons like this one feature a curved handle that splits into a jagged fishtail design. This fishtail design is not unique to Korea; it was also widely used in the area under the rule of two non-Han Chinese states: Liao (907–1125) and Jin (1115–1234). These seemingly ordinary objects testify to exciting material interactions between the Goryeo dynasty and non-Han Chinese northern states, which were often omitted from the official records.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
98864
label
Spoon with Fish-Tail Design
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
98864
contentType
object
title
Spoon with Fish-Tail Design
description
Many of Goryeo period spoons like this one feature a curved handle that splits into a jagged fishtail design. This fishtail design is not unique to Korea; it was also widely used in the area under the rule of two non-Han Chinese states: Liao (907–1125) and Jin (1115–1234). These seemingly ordinary objects testify to exciting material interactions between the Goryeo dynasty and non-Han Chinese northern states, which were often omitted from the official records.
date
918–1392
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79485848
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 28 cm (11 in.)
cul
Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
accession
1918.539
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Spoon with Fish-Tail Design (연미형 청동 수저 [魚尾形靑銅匙]), 918–1392. Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). Bronze; overall: 28 cm (11 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, General Income Fund, 1918.539
titleInOriginalLanguage
연미형 청동 수저 [魚尾形靑銅匙]
collection
Korean Art
didYouKnow
Bronze spoons are the most common burial item. 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
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. 100
creditline
General Income Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:20:28.554000
sourceId
98864
dept
Korean Art
coll
Korean Art
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
f889d32f7e00c569