Cosmetic Box and Lid
1200-1300 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A pair of cranes is featured inside a double-line circle at the top center of the lid, which is surrounded by four cranes and raindrop-shaped clouds. The edge of the lid and the upper part of the body are decorated with fret bands, and the lower part of the body is adorned with an inlaid pattern of a serial circle band. A greyish-blue glaze is thinly applied, and the foot has silica spur marks. This is estimated to be one of the small boxes contained in one big box. The assumed place and date of its production is at a kiln site in a Sadang-ri, Ganjin, in the early 14th century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Stoneware, thrown, with inlaid decoration under celadon glaze |
| Brief description | Cosmetic box and lid, stoneware with inlaid decoration under a celadon glaze; Korea, Goryeo dynasty, 1200-1300 |
| Physical description | Box and cover of circular form, covered with a greyish green celadon glaze. Decorated on the sides of the box with white inlaid of squared spirals, ringed lines and a row of dotted circles. Domed top with inlaid decoration mostly in white with a small amount of black. The top is decorated with cranes amongst clouds, a row of dots and a squared spiral border. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label | 3. Two celadon cosmetic boxes and a powder pot
Early 13th to early 14th century
Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
Celadon boxes with domed or flat lids were used to keep cosmetic powders and pastes. These were made of safflower and soot extracts and mixed with oils to create makeup for lips, cheeks and eyebrows. The spherical pot stored face powder made from ground rice and millet, which was used as a complexion-boosting exfoliant. A set of small lidded celadon boxes were sometimes kept inside a larger celadon box of the same shape.
Inlaid celadon
Museum nos. C.563&A-1918 given by Mr Aubrey Le Blond
Museum nos. C.65&A-1910, C.741-1909(05/04/2019) |
| Credit line | Given by Mr Aubrey Le Blond |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | A pair of cranes is featured inside a double-line circle at the top center of the lid, which is surrounded by four cranes and raindrop-shaped clouds. The edge of the lid and the upper part of the body are decorated with fret bands, and the lower part of the body is adorned with an inlaid pattern of a serial circle band. A greyish-blue glaze is thinly applied, and the foot has silica spur marks. This is estimated to be one of the small boxes contained in one big box. The assumed place and date of its production is at a kiln site in a Sadang-ri, Ganjin, in the early 14th century. |
| Bibliographic reference | Rackham, Bernard. Catalogue of the Le Blond collection of Corean pottery London: V&A, 1918, Plate 24, Cat. 78.
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.563&A-1918 |
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| Record created | February 3, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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