Floral-shaped Cup Stand (1100s–1200s): Art, History and Details

Floral-shaped Cup Stand (1100s–1200s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

As early as the seventh century, the practice of drinking tea became an important part of elite culture in Korea. In enjoying teas, elites commissioned a variety of types of utensils and vessels including this delicate-looking cup stand, not only to make their tea-drinking experience more exciting, but also to show their refined taste.

Object facts

• Title: Floral-shaped Cup Stand
• Date: 1100s–1200s
• Culture: Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
• Type: Ceramic
• Technique: celadon
• Dimensions: Diameter of rim: 13.9 cm (5 1/2 in.); Overall: 5.6 cm (2 3/16 in.)
• Collection: Korean Art
• Department: Korean Art
• Accession number: 1918.430

A detail from the museum

According to a historical record, the cultivation of tea in Korea was initiated with green tea plant seeds from China by royal order in 828.

Collection credit

Gift of John L. Severance

Further reading listed by the museum

• Jang, Nam-won. "The Tea and Celadons during the Goryeo Dynasty : Considering the Celadon Tea Utensils [고려시대 茶文化와 靑瓷]." Misulsa nondan (2007): 129-162.
• Lee, Yun-jin. “ A Study on Ceramic Jantak(盞托) of Goryeo Period [고려시대 청자잔탁 연구].” Misulsahak yeongu (2012): 35-69.
• Goryeo: The Glory of Korea [대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.

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.