Roof Tile / Artist Unknown, Korea
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2004/1.197
- Title
- Roof Tile
- Artist
- Artist Unknown, Korea
- Artist Nationality
- Korean
- Medium and Support
- earthenware
- Object Creation Date
- 7th century - 8th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- Korean Peninsula (peninsula)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Korean Peninsula (peninsula)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Bruce and Inta Hasenkamp and Museum purchase made possible by Elder and Mrs. Sang-Yong Nam
- Dimensions
- 3.2 cm x 13.6 cm (1 1/4 in. x 5 3/8 in.)
- Primary Object Classification
- Ceramic
- Primary Object Type
- roof tile
- Physical Description
- This lotus medallion design on this round tile-end consists of eight petals. The outer rim is decorated with eighteen round dents. The seedpod contains six peripheral seeds.
- Subject Matter
- Ceramic roof tiles have been made for thousands of years in Korea. To make a strong, beautiful tile, one must find an excellent source of clay. Soil with the perfect mixture of clay and sand can be found in rice paddies. Although the ideal time to make the tiles is the spring, tilemakers head to the rice fields after the autumn harvest to search for the best clay, which then gets stored in pits through the winter. As the weather becomes warmer, the artisans take the clay out of storage and start kneading it, repeatedly pressing with their hands or feet until all air bubbles, tiny stones, and other debris are removed. Kneading the clay is time-consuming and physically exhausting work.
- When the clay is smooth and free from impurities, it is sliced into smaller pieces with a wire cutter and pressed into wooden molds to form the desired shapes. The tiles are dried in the sun, and then fired in an evenly heated kiln. The advanced firing techniques of early Korean tilemakers create the unique color of the tiles. Today in Korea, most roof tiles are mass-produced in factories using modern techniques. However, traditional Korean tiles made by hand in the ancient way continue to be more durable, are impervious to weather, and do not easily crack.
- Secondary Keywords
- architectural elements
- components
- components and systems
- components by specific context
- descriptors
- enclosing structural elements
- flowers
- medium
- object genres
- object genres by material
- objects
- plants
- pottery (object genre)
- roofs and roof components
- structural elements
- structural elements and structural element components
- the natural world
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 3888 x 2592
- File Size
- 1 MB
- Record
- 2004/1.197
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2004-sl-1.197/2004_1_197.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2004-SL-1.197:2004_1_197.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Roof Tile; Artist Unknown, Korea." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2004-sl-1.197/2004_1_197.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 24, 2024.
