Namhae Chest / Artist Unknown, Korea

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Record Details

Accession Number
2009/2.90
Title
Namhae Chest
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.
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Technical Details

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

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"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.
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