On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Spoon

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

There are over forty Korean spoons in the V&A's collections. These graceful bronze spoons were created for daily use at home or in the royal court. The exaggerated curve of this spoon's handle, along with its swallow-tail shaped end and pointed bowl suggest that this spoon dates to the later Koryô period (918-1392). Though an elegant design, it would not have been easy to use, and at the end of the Koryô period such dramatic curves were dropped in favour of straight handles.

Object details

Object type
Materials and techniques
Cast, beaten, incised Bronze
Brief description
Spoon; bronze; swallow-tail end; Korea, Koryo dynasty (918-1392)
Physical description
The handle is incised with pairs of transverse lines of dots and also oblique lines. The bowl is oval, the swallow-tail end has zig-zag edging in the fork.

Colour: Bronze
Dimensions
  • Length: 10.2in
  • Bowl width: 1.35in
Notes: Length 10", bowl width 1.25"
Style
Summary
There are over forty Korean spoons in the V&A's collections. These graceful bronze spoons were created for daily use at home or in the royal court. The exaggerated curve of this spoon's handle, along with its swallow-tail shaped end and pointed bowl suggest that this spoon dates to the later Koryô period (918-1392). Though an elegant design, it would not have been easy to use, and at the end of the Koryô period such dramatic curves were dropped in favour of straight handles.
Collection
Accession number
M.48-1937

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Record createdFebruary 3, 2000
Record URL
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