Razor (918–1392): Art, History and Details

Razor (918–1392) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

Metalworking techniques advanced remarkably during the Goryeo period (918–1392). Metal objects such as this were used not only as daily accessories, but also as burial goods for commemorating the dead.

Object facts

• Title: Razor
• Date: 918–1392
• Culture: Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Technique: bronze
• Dimensions: Overall: 1.4 cm (9/16 in.)
• Collection: Korean Art
• Department: Korean Art
• Accession number: 1918.533

A detail from the museum

This razor used for tonsure, a practice of shaving a monk's hair.

Collection credit

General Income Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
• Choi, Eung-chon. “Craftsmen in Metal Arts in the Goryeo Dynasty [고려시대 金屬工藝의 匠人].” Misulsahak yeongu (2004): 171–192.
• Choi, Eung-chon. “Metal Arts in the Late Goryeo Period [고려후기의 금속공예].” Kangjwa misulsa (2004): 125–156.

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.