Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
Celadons, spoons, seals, and bronze mirrors were among the most common burial objects of the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392), placed in tombs to honor and comfort the deceased. This spoon, with its gracefully curved bowl and handle that bends downward to each side, ending in a scepter-shaped finial, is distinctive in design and was likely used in Buddhist rituals, rather than as an everyday utensil.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
97695
label
Spoon
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
97695
contentType
object
title
Spoon
description
Celadons, spoons, seals, and bronze mirrors were among the most common burial objects of the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392), placed in tombs to honor and comfort the deceased. This spoon, with its gracefully curved bowl and handle that bends downward to each side, ending in a scepter-shaped finial, is distinctive in design and was likely used in Buddhist rituals, rather than as an everyday utensil.
date
918–1392
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79482324
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 31 cm (12 3/16 in.)
cul
Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
accession
1917.338
Source extras
tec
silver bronze
tombstone
Spoon (보주형 은동 수저 [寶珠形銀銅匙]), 918–1392. Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). Silver bronze; overall: 31 cm (12 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, General Income Fund, 1917.338
titleInOriginalLanguage
보주형 은동 수저 [寶珠形銀銅匙]
collection
Korean Art
didYouKnow
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
L. W. "Korean Bronze Spoons of the Korai Dynasty." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 4, no. 6 (1917): 99-101.
page_number
Reproduced: Front Matter; Mentioned: pp. 99-101
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): 156-79.
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. 96
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: p. 284, fig. 14
creditline
General Income Fund
updatedAt
2026-06-18 15:02:14.436000
sourceId
97695
dept
Korean Art
coll
Korean Art
med
silver bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
58fe7e31daee2202