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Spoon with Fish-Tail Design
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Many of Goryeo period spoons like this one feature a curved handle that splits into a jagged fishtail design. This fishtail design is not unique to Korea; it was also widely used in the area under the rule of two non-Han Chinese states: Liao (907–1125) and Jin (1115–1234). These seemingly ordinary objects testify to exciting material interactions between the Goryeo dynasty and non-Han Chinese northern states, which were often omitted from the official records.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineSpoon with Fish-Tail Design (연미형 청동 수저 [魚尾形靑銅匙]), 918–1392. Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). Bronze; overall: 28.5 cm (11 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of John L. Severance, 1921.664
