Namhae Chest / Artist Unknown, Korea
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2009/2.90
- Title
- Namhae Chest
- Artist
- Artist Unknown, Korea
- Artist Nationality
- Korean
- Medium and Support
- zelkova wood, iron fittings
- Object Creation Date
- mid 19th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- Korean Peninsula (peninsula)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Korean Peninsula (peninsula)
- Dimensions
- 48.9 cm x 88.3 cm x 43.2 cm (19 1/4 in. x 34 3/4 in. x 17 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Furniture and Furniture Accessories
- Primary Object Type
- chest
- Physical Description
- All parts of this chest, including the back, were made from solid zelkova planks, a luxury wood related to elm but with a more pronounced grain. This specimen has escaped aggressive cleaning with modern compounds and retains its original patina. The dovetail joints between the lower front panel and sides and the back and side panels are superbly wrought. The iron lock plate in the middle of the front is fashioned into an auspicious character, bok (good fortune). The rectangular iron hinges and square supporting corner brackets are fashioned into Buddhist swastika patterns. The four arms of each swastika radiate out from the center like the spokes of a wheel, symbolizing the rotation of the universe around the cosmic Buddha.
- Subject Matter
- Called a bandaji or “half-closing chest” because it is accessed by an upper front panel that is hinged and kept closed by a latch at the top center, this was the most common type of chest used in Korea for the storage of clothing or books. In Korean homes in this period, people sat on mats and slept on cotton-stuffed mattresses on floors heated by a radiant under-floor system called ondol. During the day, bedding was cleared and stacked up on top of the bandaji, so these sturdy chests came to be known as blanket chests in the West.
- Secondary Keywords
- case furniture
- components
- components and systems
- components by general context
- descriptors
- furnishings
- furnishings by form or function
- furniture
- furniture by form or function
- materials
- materials by origin
- metalwork
- object genres
- object genres by material
- objects we use
- plant material
- storage and display furniture
- wood and wood products
- 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
- 2400 x 1606
- File Size
- 162 KB
- Record
- 2009/2.90
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2009-sl-2.90/2009_2.90.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Namhae Chest; Artist Unknown, Korea." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2009-sl-2.90/2009_2.90.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.