Vessel in the shape of a duck

Accession Number
2004/1.188

Title
Vessel in the shape of a duck

Artist(s)
Korean

Artist Nationality
Korean (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
3rd century - 4th century

Medium & Support
stoneware

Dimensions
6 5/8 x 7 1/16 in. (16.8 x 17.9 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Bruce and Inta Hasenkamp and Museum purchase made possible by Elder and Mrs. Sang-Yong Nam

Label copy
Duck-shaped vessels are found in both Gaya and Silla as lamps, ewers, and containers. This particular piece was assembled from three wheel-thrown parts—the body, which is a bowl folded nearly in half; the pedestal; and a funnel-shaped cup—and a hand-modeled head and neck. The marks on the body where the potter joined the sections together are clearly visible.
Maribeth Graybill, The Enduring Art of the Korean Potter, December 12, 2004-Dec

Subject matter
Ancient Koreans believed birds were the messengers to the spirit world because they can travel over land and water and through the sky.  In villages figures of birds can still be seen atop tall wooden poles, recalling their earlier importance.  Because they mate for life, even today Koreans especially favor ducks.  Many duck-shaped vessels have been discovered in tombs in the ancient regions of Gaya and Silla, suggesting their importance in those ancient cultures (42 - 562)

Physical Description
A stoneware vessel designed for pouring or possibly to serve as an oil lamp, in the shape of a duck. The lower half of the duck's body and "legs" are formed by a shallow bowl on an openwork pedestal; the sides of the bowl have been compressed to make an elongated shape. The upper half of the duck's body, and its neck and head are formed by hand, The duck's body is hollow, with two aperture: liquids can be poured in through a funnel with a cup-shaped mouth on the duck's back, and liquids can be poured out through a wide opening at the tail.

This is a gray or gray-orange, duck-shaped, low-fired earthenware vessel. Its semi-globular spout is attached to the upper part of the duck’s back, while a 2.8cm wide hole, which appears to have been used for pouring liquids, is located at the tail end. The duck’s beak is flat and wide, and its eyes are expressed by an incised dot and circle. The lower part of the body features three ridges that form a wave design. The pedestal flares out widely and is perforated, in its upper part, by five square apertures.
[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2017) p. 44]

 

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
vessel

Additional Object Classification(s)
Ritual Object

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
Three Kingdoms (Korean)
ducks (birds)
earthenware
vessels (containers)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted

On display

UMMA Gallery Location ➜ FFW, Mezzanine ➜ M07 (Woon-hyung Lee and Korea Foundation Gallery of Korean Art)