Artwork Page for Chopstick

Details / Information for Chopstick

Chopstick

청동 젓가락 [靑銅箸]

918–1392

Korea, Goryeo dynasty

(918–1392)
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Medium
bronze
Credit Line
Director's Contingent Fund 1918.564.2
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

In contrast to the Chinese and Japanese, Koreans still prefer metal chopsticks (stainless steel and brass) to wooden ones.

Description

In Korea, chopsticks made of metal such as brass, silver, and gold were excavated from ancient tombs and ruins dated to the 6th century at the earliest. Burial goods often include utilitarian objects such as table wares and utensils because the dead were believed to need them in the afterlife.
A slender bronze rod tapers to a rounded point, its surface cloaked in a mottled, matte patina of pale green and ash gray. Small dark spots pepper the weathered cylinder. Near the blunt upper end, a delicate band encircles the form. Positioned vertically with a slight leftward tilt, the chopstick casts a stark, diagonal shadow across a neutral field. The textured finish suggests antiquity, a subtle glint catching the uneven, oxidized surface.

Chopstick

918–1392

Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)

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