Bronze Kundika with Silver-inlaid Willow and Waterfowl Design

Basic information

Designation

National Treasure No.92

Category

Craft

Era

고려시대(12세기)

Designated year

1962

Location

용산구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 용산구 서빙고로 137 (용산동6가, 국립중앙박물관)

Coordinates

37.524041, 126.980350

Widely regarded as one of the finest works of Goryeo metal craft, this Buddhist ritual vessel -- known in Sanskrit as kundika -- has an elegant body 37.5 centimeters high and elaborately decorated with floral bands around the neck and foot and an idyllic waterside landscape with a hill of reed and willow as well as several waterfowls, some floating on water and others flying in the air, and a man rowing a boat. The vessel is made of bronze, with the ornamentation done using the silver-inlaying technique. On the shoulder is a spout whose cover is decorated with engraved vine and lotus design; on the neck is its cover made of silver, also decorated with the engraving technique. The vessel is characterized by a stable body with fine curves and whose surface is elaborately decorated with the silver-inlaying technique, which saw great advancement during the Goryeo Period (918-1392). Goryeo artisans produced quite a few bronze kundikas with silver-inlaid ornamentation, but this is regarded as one of the best masterpieces among those that have survived.

Location