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Altar High Chair (Kyo-Yi)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Many homes in premodern Korean society had a memorial shrine for preparing and holding ancestral rites. Placed on the top of a tall chair, this miniature edifice (called the spirit house) served as a temporary residence for visiting ancestral spirits. On the table, a variety of delicacies such as fruits, rice, meat, and wine would be placed to treat those spiritual guests.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineAltar High Chair (Kyo-Yi) (영좌교의 [靈座交椅]), 1800s. Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). Pine nut wood; overall: 128.4 x 52 cm (50 9/16 x 20 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Honorable Joseph P. Carroll and Roberta Carroll, M.D. in memory of Robert P. Bergman, 1999.120.3
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