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Goryeo

Detail, seated bodhisattva from the site of Hansongsa Temple, Gangneung, 10th century (Goryeo Dynasty), white marble, 92.4 cm high, National Treasure 124 (Chuncheon National Museum; photo: Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea) — This seated bodhisattva statue was once displayed in Hansongsa Temple, located in a significant area for the legendary Silla military unit known as the Hwarang.

Stone bodhisattva from the site of Hansongsa ...

by The National Museum of Korea

Celadon Melon-shaped Bottle, early 12th century, Goryeo Dynasty, ceramic and celadon, 22.6 cm tall (The National Museum of Korea, National Treasure 94) — This vase exemplifies the Goryeo royal court’s exceptional taste for fine celadon.

Celadon Melon-shaped Bottle

by The National Museum of Korea

Detail, celadon dragon-shaped ewer, 12th century (Goryeo), 24.3 x 10.3 cm, National Treasure 61 (National Museum of Korea) — Coated in luminous jade-colored glaze, these sanghyeong celadon vessels combine the beauty of artworks for appreciation with the function of household implements

Celadon dragon-shaped ewer and celadon turtle-shaped ewer

by The National Museum of Korea

Official Register (detail), 1390, Goryeo Dynasty, mulberry paper, 55.7 x 386 cm (The National Museum of Korea, National Treasure 131) — The practice of collecting different information from a person depending on his social status carried over from the official registers of the late Goryeo period to those of the Joseon period

Official Register from the late Goryeo period

by The National Museum of Korea

Celadon Incense Burner with Lion Cover, Goryeo (12th century), Height: 26.3cm, National Treasure 60 (National Museum of Korea) — The sheer variety of Goryeo celadon incense burners demonstrates how widespread the culture of incense burning was during the period.

Celadon incense burner with lion cover and ...

by The National Museum of Korea

This large temple bell is the oldest extant bell from the Goryeo period.

Bronze bell with inscription: “Cheonheungsa”

by The National Museum of Korea

Scene from Buddha's Assembly (detail), Ten-story Stone Pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa Temple, 1348, Goryeo Dynasty, marble, 1350 cm high (National Museum of Korea) — This ten-story stone pagoda was originally erected on the site of Gyeongcheonsa Temple in 1348

Ten-story Stone Pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa Temple

by The National Museum of Korea

Kundika with Landscape Design, 12th century, Goryeo, 37.5 cm high, National Treasure 92 (National Museum of Korea) — One of the most striking aspects of this kundika is its unusual green color, which arouses great curiosity.

Kundika with Landscape Design

by The National Museum of Korea

Detail of shoulder with chrysanthemum scroll designs inside ogival frames, celadon maebyeong with inlaid peony design and copper-red underglaze, 12th–13th century, 34.5 x 5.8 x 13.2 cm, Treasure 346 (The National Museum of Korea) — This large maebyeong with a peony design represents the peak of Goryeo celadon.

Maebyeong with peony design

by The National Museum of Korea

Why was this Goryeo maebyeong designated as a “Treasure” of Korea?

Maebyeong with cloud and crane design

by The National Museum of Korea

Cast-iron Buddha, Goryeo Dynasty (10th century), Discovered in Hasachang-ri, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, Height: 281.0cm, Treasure 332 — This early iron Buddha is an imposing and impressive figure.

Cast-iron Buddha

by The National Museum of Korea

Haeinsa — The Temple of Haeinsa, on Mount Gaya, is home to the Tripitaka Koreana, the most complete collection of Buddhist texts, engraved on 80,000 woodblocks

Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, and the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks

by UNESCO

In medieval Korea, wine bottles were known as maebyong, which comes from the Chinese mei-ping ('vase for plum blossoms'), a misnomer dubbed by Chinese scholars of the Qing dynasty.

Maebyong vases, an introduction

by The British Museum

Ewer with lid — […]

Ewer with lid

by Asian Art Museum

Reviving traditional Korean celadons — […]

Reviving traditional Korean celadons

by Asian Art Museum