Accession Number
2004/1.195

Title
Roof end tile with molded star-shaped lotus pattern

Artist(s)
Korean

Artist Nationality
Korean (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
15th century

Medium & Support
earthenware

Dimensions
5 7/16 x 5 7/16 x 1 5/16 in. (13.8 x 13.8 x 3.2 cm)

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

Label copy
The early date of this tile can be deduced from its irregular shape and the simple pattern of a six-pointed star around a central node.
Maribeth Graybill, The Enduring Art of the Korean Potter, December 12, 2004-November 6, 2005

Subject matter
Roofs and ceilings are important focal points of many traditional East Asian structures. Roofs often extend several feet beyond the walls of the structure, creating large, overhanging eaves. These two tiles would have been part of the decorated outer edge of such an eave.
Ceramic roof tiles were introduced to Korea from China around the first century BCE By the time these two examples were made, during the Silla kingdom (57 BCE–668 CE) and Unified Silla dynasty (668–935), Korean ceramic tile roofs had reached their peak in intricacy and design. Roofs made from interlocking ceramic tiles kept cold air, wind, and rain from entering a house. Due to their heavy weight, the structure supporting the roof had to be very strong. Expensive to produce, tile roofs were typically found on the homes of aristocrats and government officials, and on Buddhist and Confucian ceremonial buildings.

Physical Description
It is decorated with the seedpod of the lotus medallion. The pod contains seven seeds, one seed in the middle surrounded by six peripheral ones(1+6 seed pattern)

This high-fired convex eave-end roof tile with a lotus design has a dark gray surface and a gray core. It is made from clay mixed with numerous stone particles. The surface texture of the tile is extremely rough and its design crudely rendered.

[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2017) p. 41]

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
roof tile

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
Chosen (ancient)
Korean styles
ceramics
earthenware
lotus
roofing tile
roofs
tile