Korea / Bird-shaped vessel / ca. late 2nd?3rd century

Korea
Bird-shaped vessel
ca. late 2nd?3rd century
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Creator Nationality: Asian; Far East Asian; Korean
Creator Name-CRT: Korea
Title: Bird-shaped vessel
View: Principal view
Creation Start Date: 167
Creation End Date: 299
Creation Date: ca. late 2nd?3rd century
Creation Place: Korea
Object Type: Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Materials and Techniques: Earthenware
Dimensions: L. 14 in. (35.6 cm)
Description: Footed vessels of this type, produced in Korea during the late second and third centuries A .D., may have derived their form from earlier Chinese bronzes. In Chinese funerary art of the Western Han (206 B.C.?9 A.D.), birds with fantastic tails and heads served as vehicles that carried souls from the earthly realm to that of the immortals. Korean bird-shaped vessels, most of which have been found at burial sites in the southern part of the peninsula in the area once controlled by the Kaya Federation (42?562), were probably intended for use in ritual ceremonies. The vessel would have been filled with liquid through the opening in the back, and the tail served as the spout. The low-fired grayish white body clearly distinguishes these vessels from ceramic objects intended for everyday use. This example illustrates the sophisticated blending of the naturalistic and the formal that characterizes Korea's ceramic tradition. The bird's curvaceous body provides a striking contrast to the prominent angular crest, protruding ears, and long narrow beak.
AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York
ID Number: 1997.34.1
Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1997
Copyright: Copyright ? 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art . All rights reserved.
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/education/er_photo_lib.asp
Style or Period: Three Kingdoms period (57 B.C.?668 A.D.)
AMICA ID: MMA_.1997.34.1
AMICA Library Year: 2002
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright (c) 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All Rights Reserved

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