Accession Number
2009/2.87

Title
Lock for Chest

Artist(s)
Korean

Artist Nationality
Korean (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
Late 19th–early 20th century

Medium & Support
metal

Dimensions
2 7/16 x 2 7/16 x 3/4 in. (6.1 x 6.1 x 1.8 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Ok Ja Chang and the Chang Family

Physical Description
A round metal lock meant to lock a chest. The front of the metal disc is decorated with a line carving of a Korean character surrounded by multiple carved circles, but leave a rim of undecorated metal around its edges.

This lock opens when the key is inserted into the hole at the bottom. Locks of this type were used for locking chests or stacked chests. The key has been lost. The Chinese character “longevity (壽)” is incised on the center of the upper surface against ringmat ground.

[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2017), 247]

Primary Object Classification
Furniture and Furniture Accessories

Primary Object Type
lock

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
Korean (culture or style)
chests (animal components)
durability
locks (securing devices)