Tweezers
918-1392 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
In the middle of the tweezers where they are parted, there is a round-cornered square pattern. They have a black tint and a rectangular cross-section. In the Goryeo dynasty, tweezers were used widely by men and women. This tells the mode for beauty during this period - people preferred a broad forehead and distinctive eyebrows. Related statement is found in 1123 in the book of "sunhwabongsagoryeo dogyeong", written by the envoy Seo Geung of the Chinese Song Dynasty: Ladies in Goryeo do not like to wear perfumed hair-oil. They powder their face, but do not like to rouge their cheeks and draw their eyebrows big.
Object details
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Bronze |
Physical description | Combined tweezers and ear-scoop, with cubical boss separating the two implements. |
Dimensions | Height: 5.8' Width: .6 |
Style | |
Credit line | 1. A pair of tweezers and four bitchigae (hair implements) Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) Bitchigae is a double-ended grooming tool. The pointed end was used to part hair, while the rounded end was used to apply hair oil. The grooves of the gingko-leaf shaped bitchigae were initially designed to remove dirt from the hair, but later evolved to be purely decorative and then used as a hairpin. Tweezers were also multi-purpose, with an angled-pointed end to part hair or to scoop ear wax. Bitchigae and tweezers were often stored together inside a vanity box. Copper alloy and bronze sheets Museum nos. FE.46 to 49-1991, M.69-1937 |
Summary | In the middle of the tweezers where they are parted, there is a round-cornered square pattern. They have a black tint and a rectangular cross-section. In the Goryeo dynasty, tweezers were used widely by men and women. This tells the mode for beauty during this period - people preferred a broad forehead and distinctive eyebrows. Related statement is found in 1123 in the book of "sunhwabongsagoryeo dogyeong", written by the envoy Seo Geung of the Chinese Song Dynasty: Ladies in Goryeo do not like to wear perfumed hair-oil. They powder their face, but do not like to rouge their cheeks and draw their eyebrows big. |
Collection | |
Accession number | M.69-1937 |
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Record created | February 3, 2000 |
Record URL |
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