CMA: Korean Art
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cmakorean.bsky.social
CMA: Korean Art
@cmakorean.bsky.social
480 followers 3 following 2.6K posts
Sharing public domain works from the Korean Art department of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Automated thanks to @andreitr.bsky.social and @botfrens.bsky.social
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Bowl with Inlaid Chrysanthemum and Peony Design https://clevelandart.org/art/1921.685
Bowl with Inlaid Chrysanthemum and Peony Design
February 12, 2026 at 3:38 PM
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Bowl with Flowering Vines Design in Relief https://clevelandart.org/art/1928.175
Bowl with Flowering Vines Design in Relief
February 12, 2026 at 2:21 PM
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Spoon with Fish-Tail Design https://clevelandart.org/art/1918.511
Spoon with Fish-Tail Design
February 12, 2026 at 12:09 PM
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Tea Bowl with Stamped Floral Decoration https://clevelandart.org/art/1962.498
Tea Bowl with Stamped Floral Decoration
February 12, 2026 at 8:16 AM
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Chopstick https://clevelandart.org/art/1917.328
Chopstick
February 11, 2026 at 5:52 PM
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Landscape with Fishermen https://clevelandart.org/art/2015.516
Surviving paintings of the early Choson period in Korea, while not numerous, provide modern viewers with a consistent ensemble of subject matter, painting formats, and stylistic approaches. Along with landscape painting, animal, bird, and flower paintings, a few portraits, grapes, bamboo, figural compositions, and kyehoe-do (commem-orative rites scenes) make up the basic repertoire of subjects. The late 15th- and 16th-century landscapes that have survived, however, are modest in format. Korean painters preferred to work in a restricted compositional arena.<br><br>The subject here is straightforward: a solitary figure seated in a small boat fishing. Clad in a straw rain poncho and wide-brimmed hat, the fisherman has chosen a body of water that could be part of a lake or a river. Reeds sparkle on the far shoreline among dark, black rock forms that appear to float above the water. On the near shoreline are a pair of pines, a grove of bamboo or water reeds, and two withered deciduous trees from which moss hangs. Otherwise the vista is barren (except for a distant waterfall), emphasizing the profound space, the dim light, and the frosty air that forces the fisherman to huddle beneath his clothing.
February 11, 2026 at 5:14 PM
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Jar with Design in Underglaze Iron https://clevelandart.org/art/1986.87
Jar with Design in Underglaze Iron
February 11, 2026 at 1:39 PM
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Spoon https://clevelandart.org/art/1918.538
Spoon
February 11, 2026 at 10:41 AM
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Chopstick https://clevelandart.org/art/1918.526.1
Chopstick
February 11, 2026 at 10:11 AM
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Burial Urn with Stamped Design https://clevelandart.org/art/1928.178
Burial Urn with Stamped Design
February 10, 2026 at 7:07 PM
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Incense Burner with Lotus Petal Design in Relief https://clevelandart.org/art/1918.493
Incense Burner with Lotus Petal Design in Relief
February 10, 2026 at 5:20 PM
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Spoon with Fish-Tail Design https://clevelandart.org/art/1918.508
Spoon with Fish-Tail Design
February 10, 2026 at 12:51 PM
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Geese Returning Home https://clevelandart.org/art/1993.159
The scene of geese descending to a sandbar originated with a very popular Chinese poem and theme in painting, Eight Views of Xiao Xiang River. The geese are the symbol of the fall because they migrate from northern areas like Siberia to stay in Korea during the late fall and winter. In Korea, the word for geese in the grove, <em>noan</em>, has the same pronunciation with the word for "the comfortable life at old age." With this double meaning for a happy life, the motif of returning geese gained popularity both in Goryeo porcelain and in Joseon paintings.
February 10, 2026 at 11:52 AM
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Chopstick https://clevelandart.org/art/1917.1034
Chopstick
February 10, 2026 at 9:54 AM
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Floral-shaped Cup Stand with Inlaid Chrysanthemum Design https://clevelandart.org/art/1970.503
Floral-shaped Cup Stand with Inlaid Chrysanthemum Design
February 9, 2026 at 6:18 PM
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Bamboo in Moonlight https://clevelandart.org/art/1987.186
This painting depicts the full moon shining through a stand of bamboo, and for Joseon literati it would have conveyed the sense of life in harmony with nature to which they aspired. Bamboo is a potent symbol across Asia, and for Confucian societies is thought of as one of the "four gentlemen" along with plum trees, orchids, and chrysanthemums. Each of these plants encompasses an important and desired Confucian trait, and all are often depicted in Korean painting. Bamboo has immense flexibility and is able to bend to extremes without breaking—a much desired attribute for a Confucian scholar. Here, the painter has romanticized the more typical image of bamboo by adding the rising moon.
February 9, 2026 at 4:15 PM
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Amitābha Triad https://clevelandart.org/art/1961.135
This hanging scroll illustrates a dramatic apparition of Buddha Amitābha (阿彌陀 in Chinese) and the two attendant bodhisattvas, or saintly beings, in the midst of colorful light and swirling clouds. The one who carries a miniature image of Amitābha in its jeweled crown is Avalokiteśvara (觀音 in Chinese); and the other who carries a flower vase is Mahāsthāmaprāpta (大勢至 in Chinese).<br><br>Previously, this work was identified as a rare example of a Korean Buddhist painting from the early Joseon period. In contrast to surviving Korean works from this time the scroll stands out for its fine details. Elements such as the striped almond-shaped halo that encircles the main Buddha, firm red lines that define each deity’s facial features, and the naturalistic rendition of flowing garments identifies it as an excellent example of early Ming period Chinese Buddhist painting.
February 9, 2026 at 1:32 PM
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A Pair of Chopsticks https://clevelandart.org/art/1918.526
A Pair of Chopsticks
February 9, 2026 at 11:36 AM
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Bowl with Stamped Decoration https://clevelandart.org/art/1921.678
To create the linear patterns visible on this bowl the potter quickly carved the design into the dark clay body. He then applied white clay slip with a brush over this general area. After the slip settled into the linear grooves, he wiped the surface excess away (although he "missed" an area near the parallel horizontal neck bands), leaving a whitish line. A greenish celadon glaze was then applied over the bowl. Punch'ong decorative techniques were a response to medieval Korean society's need for greater numbers of attractive, inexpensive housewares.
February 9, 2026 at 8:29 AM
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String of Glass Beads https://clevelandart.org/art/1917.1058
String of Glass Beads
February 8, 2026 at 6:00 PM
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Belt Ornament https://clevelandart.org/art/1917.1051.1
Belt Ornament
February 8, 2026 at 4:37 PM
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Flower-shaped Mirror https://clevelandart.org/art/1917.678
Flower-shaped Mirror
February 8, 2026 at 11:39 AM
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Bowl with Inlaid Waterfowl, Willow, and Reed Design https://clevelandart.org/art/1918.458
Bowl with Inlaid Waterfowl, Willow, and Reed Design
February 8, 2026 at 8:15 AM
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Bowl with Lotus Petal Design in Relief https://clevelandart.org/art/1942.721
Bowl with Lotus Petal Design in Relief
February 7, 2026 at 7:53 PM
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Seated Amitābha https://clevelandart.org/art/1994.94
This magnificent Buddha, called Amitābha (literally, “infinite light”) is seated on a lotus pedestal with both palms facing up over crossed legs, suggesting that it is in a deep meditation. Originally, this scroll was acquired by the museum as a Korean work, but has now been reattributed as Ming period Chinese. <br><br>One of the major reasons for this reattribution is that contemporaneous Korean works mostly depict this deity giving a sermon, surrounded by a large retinue of Buddhist guardians and celestial beings, rather than meditating. Stylistic elements that emphasize ornamentation, such as a chain of flying flames on its body halo and a multitiered throne festooned with colorful floral and geometric patterns also confirm the current reattribution.
February 7, 2026 at 5:00 PM