Spoon with Fish-Tail Design

연미형 청동 수저 (魚尾形靑銅匙)

918–1392

Korea, Goryeo dynasty

(918–1392)

bronze

Overall: 25.1 cm (9 7/8 in.)

General Income Fund 1918.514

Location: not on view

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Did You Know?

Bronze spoons are the most common burial item. Scholars have proposed that toward the end of the 14th century, Koreans enjoyed meat-based soups more than any other dishes, explaining why spoons became common household items as well as burial goods.

Description

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.