Roof Tile-End with Lotus Design / Artist Unknown, Korea

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About this Item

Record Details

Accession Number
2004/1.196
Title
Roof Tile-End with Lotus Design
Artist Nationality
Korean
Object Creation Date
late 6th century
Object Creation Place
Asia (continent)
Korean Peninsula (peninsula)
Creation Place 1
Asia (continent)
Creation Place 2
Korean Peninsula (peninsula)
Dimensions
3.6 cm x 14.5 cm x 14 cm (1 7/16 in. x 5 11/16 in. x 5 1/2 in.)
Primary Object Classification
Ceramic
Primary Object Type
roof tile
Physical Description
Earthenware roof tile-end with molded lotus design.
Subject Matter
Lotus with thirteen petals.
Roofs and ceilings are important focal points of many traditional East Asian structures. Roofs often extend several feet beyond the walls of the structure, creating large, overhanging eaves. These two tiles would have been part of the decorated outer edge of such an eave.
Ceramic roof tiles were introduced to Korea from China around the first century BCE By the time these two examples were made, during the Silla kingdom (57 BCE–668 CE) and Unified Silla dynasty (668–935), Korean ceramic tile roofs had reached their peak in intricacy and design. Roofs made from interlocking ceramic tiles kept cold air, wind, and rain from entering a house. Due to their heavy weight, the structure supporting the roof had to be very strong. Expensive to produce, tile roofs were typically found on the homes of aristocrats and government officials, and on Buddhist and Confucian ceremonial buildings.
Primary Keywords
ceramics
earthenware
lotus
molded
tile
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
2148 x 1740
File Size
497 KB
Record
2004/1.196
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2004-sl-1.196/2004_1_196.jpg

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"Roof Tile-End with Lotus Design; Artist Unknown, Korea." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2004-sl-1.196/2004_1_196.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 27, 2024.
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