Spoon thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Spoon

918-1392 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This spoon is part of a collection of over forty Korean examples in the V&A collection.
With its curved handle and oval bowl this is a typical example of a Koryo period (918-1392) bronze spoon. The handles on early Koryo spoons are shorter and have a gentler curve than their mid-Koryo counterparts. With the exaggerated curvature of its handle and the swallow-tail form of the handle-end, this spoon likely dates to the mid-Koryo period.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Brief description
Bronze spoon with swallow-tail handle, Koryo period (918-1392)
Physical description
The spoon has a long, shallow , pointed bowl and a curved handle with swallow-tail end decorated at both ends with a pricked design of wavy lines and scrolls.
Dimensions
  • Length: 10.4in
  • Width: 1.37in
Notes: Width of bowl
Style
Object history
Purchased from Messrs. Kavanough & Co. (Seoul, Korea), accessioned in 1912. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subject depicted
Summary
This spoon is part of a collection of over forty Korean examples in the V&A collection.
With its curved handle and oval bowl this is a typical example of a Koryo period (918-1392) bronze spoon. The handles on early Koryo spoons are shorter and have a gentler curve than their mid-Koryo counterparts. With the exaggerated curvature of its handle and the swallow-tail form of the handle-end, this spoon likely dates to the mid-Koryo period.
Collection
Accession number
M.406-1912

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Record createdFebruary 3, 2000
Record URL
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