Accession Number
2004/1.219

Title
Pear-Shaped Bottle

Artist(s)
Korean

Artist Nationality
Korean (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
13th century

Medium & Support
bronze

Dimensions
12 1/4 x 6 5/8 x 6 5/8 in. (31 x 16.8 x 16.8 cm)

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

Subject matter
This type of bronze bottle would be used as wine or liquid container.

Physical Description
This is known as a pear shaped bottle vase with widely everted mouth, narrow neck that makes it easy to grasp and a round globular body that is bottom heavy. Five lines encircle the body and neck. The foot is rather high.

Bronze bottles, bowls, plates and cutlery were placed as burial ware in Goryeo tombs along with celadon vessels. This bottle has traces of being splashed by muddy water, thus it is assumed to have been excavated from a tomb. This type of bottle with a long neck and flared mouth was also made in celadon in large quantities. The bottle is decorated with three ridges, and between the ridges are incised three thin lines. The mouth was made by folding the metal sheet inwards and joining the folds. The vertical foot has been attached separately. The entire bottle is covered by a thin patina, and part of its body has been ruptured. It, however, retains its original form and has been preserved well. Part of one side, which has been in contact with earth, is more decayed than the rest. There are traces of deliberate scraping on some parts of the outer surface.

[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2017), 242]

Primary Object Classification
Metalwork

Primary Object Type
bottle

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
Koryŏ
bottle
bottles
bronze (metal)
metal
pear-shaped
vase