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은제국화문요대장식, 銀製菊花文腰帶裝飾
Belt ornament with chrysanthemum design
은제국화문요대장식, 銀製菊花文腰帶裝飾
Korean
Goryeo dynasty
12th–13th century
Object Place: Korea
Medium/Technique
Gilt silver with repousse decoration
Dimensions
L. 6.2 cm (2 7/16 in.), w. 23 cm (9 1/16 in.), d. 0.5 cm (3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Robert Treat Paine, Jr.
Accession Number60.1321
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment
This Korean Goryeo dynasty belt buckle is an excellent example of the period’s sophisticated metalwork. Two cast-silver frames form the buckle’s two decorated panels, which probably were attached to a leather belt. The buckle’s high-relief work on the right side depicts tree peonies, leaves, branches, and blossoms. The left panel features herbaceous or bush peonies in low relief. Here, the artist worked the metal from behind using a beating and impressing technique similar to repoussé.1 Peonies are auspicious symbols in Korea associated with prosperity, nobility, feminine beauty, and love.
Yvonne J. Markowitz, “Belt Ornament” in Artful Adornments: Jewelry from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston by Yvonne J. Markowitz (Boston: MFA Publications, 2011), 129.
Yvonne J. Markowitz, “Belt Ornament” in Artful Adornments: Jewelry from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston by Yvonne J. Markowitz (Boston: MFA Publications, 2011), 129.
Catalogue Raisonné
MFA Highlights: Arts of Korea (2012), p. 58
ProvenanceBy 1932, Robert Treat Paine, Jr. (b. 1900 - d. 1965), Cambridge, MA [see note]; 1960, gift of Robert Treat Paine, Jr. to the MFA. (Accession date: November 9, 1960)
NOTE: Lent by Robert Treat Paine, Jr. to the MFA in 1932.
NOTE: Lent by Robert Treat Paine, Jr. to the MFA in 1932.