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Basin with Inscribed Figures and Calligraphy

Basin with Inscribed Figures and Calligraphy

청동 은입사 호 (靑銅銀入絲兩耳壺)

1100s–1200s

Bronze

Overall: 17 cm (6 11/16 in.); Diameter of mouth with rim: 21.7 cm (8 9/16 in.)

Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1985.112

Location

Did you know?

A child, one of the main decorative elements for this basin, is possibly a young Buddhist pilgrim named Sudhana, who took a long spiritual journey to search for enlightenment.

Description

This bronze basin may have been used for containing purified water. What makes this work charming is its intricate decoration done in silver inlay: the five-character, four-line poems interspersed among images of a child. The poems, which evoke the concept of nonattachment and nonduality, were written by Buddhist monks.

See also
Collection: 
Korean Art
Department: 
Korean Art
Type of artwork: 
Metalwork
Medium: 
Bronze

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