The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 1, 2023

Belt Buckle

금동 허리띠 고리 (金銅製鉸具)

1100s-1200s

Korea, Goryeo period

(918-1392)

Bronze gilt

Overall: 7.5 x 5.5 cm (2 15/16 x 2 3/16 in.)

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1917.1026

Location

not on view

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. Belt buckles like this one gilded with gold were fixed to leather belts.

Citations
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
Choi, Eung-chon. “Metal Arts in the Late Goryeo Period [고려후기의 금속공예].” Kangjwa misulsa (2004): 125-156. www.dbpia.co.kr
Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
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.
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.
Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1917.1026