The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 25, 2022

Belt Buckle

금동 허리띠 고리 (金銅製鉸具)

1100s-1200s

Korea, Goryeo period

(918-1392)

Gilt bronze

Diameter: 5 cm (1 15/16 in.)

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1917.1023

Location

236 Korean

Fun Fact

The Japanese antique dealer Yamanaka & Company, which opened its branches in New York (1895) and Boston (1899), sold small Korean archaeological materials such as this belt buckle to American collectors in the early 20th century.

Description

Metallurgy advanced remarkably in the Goryeo period (918-1392), explaining why a large quantity of sophisticated metal artifacts with delicate designs were used not only as daily accessories but also as burial goods. Once coated in brilliant gold, belt buckles like this one were fixed to leather belts.

Provenance
?-1917
(Yamanaka and Company, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1917-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
Choi, Eung-chon. “Metal Arts in the Late Goryeo Period [고려후기의 금속공예].” Kangjwa misulsa (2004): 125-156. www.dbpia.co.kr
Choi, Eung-chon. “Craftsmen in Metal Arts in the Goryeo Dynasty [고려시대 金屬工藝의 匠人].” Misulsahak yeongu (2004): 171-192. www.dbpia.co.kr
Kim, Eunae, "A Study of Repoussé Works of Goryeo [고려시대 타출 공예 연구]. Art History Association of Korea (March 2007): 31-72. www.dbpia.co.kr
Kim, Jae-yul. "Review on Burial Aspect of Belt Ornaments excavated from Tombs in Gyeongju during the Epoch of the Three Kingdoms [삼국시대 경주지역 고분 출토 대금구의 부장양상 검토]." Sillasahakpo 32 (December 2014): 263-305.
Kim, Kyu-ho. “Samguksidae gobunchulto geum, eun, geumdongjepumui teukseong gochal [삼국시대 고분출토 금, 은, 금동제품의 특성 고찰].” Samguksidaegukgaui seongjanggwa muljil munhwal [삼국시대 국가의 성장과 물질 문화]. Gyeonggido: Academy of Korean Studies, 2015: 234-247.
Bronze in Life and Art [삶과 예술 속. 청동 靑銅 이야기] National Cheongju Museum (2016).
Goryeo: The Glory of Korea [대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.
Exhibition history

Interpretation of Materiality: Gold (Korean art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 29-October 24, 2021).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1917.1023