Base (1392–1897): Art, History and Details

Base (1392–1897) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This wooden base for a musical instrument, possibly a set of bells or drums, was acquired in Korea in 1916 by Langdon Warner, who once served as the field agent for Asian art for the Cleveland Museum of Art. At the time of acquisition, it was mistaken as a part of a clothing stand related to a set of military uniform (1918.560.1) probably because the wooden base and a set of military uniform were purchased at the same antique shop.

Object facts

• Title: Base
• Date: 1392–1897
• Culture: Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Technique: wood
• Collection: Korean Art
• Department: Korean Art
• Accession number: 1918.560.2

A detail from the museum

It was a base of a musical instrument, such as a set of bells or drums.

Collection credit

General Income Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Song, Ji-won. “The Consideration of the Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty Concerning the Manufacturing of Musical Instruments in the Collection of Kyujanggak [규장각소장조선왕실의악기제작의궤고찰].” Gugakwon (2011): 146–191.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.