Glass Ewer and Cups from the South Mound of the Tomb No. 98, Gyeongju

Two glass pieces, a ewer and a cup, found in Hwangnamdaechong Tomb. Hwangnamdaechong Tomb is a Silla tomb of the Three Kingdoms period in the King Michu's Tomb area of Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju; its two mounds, north and south, are joined like a gourd. The ewer is 25 cm high and 9.5 cm across the belly; the cup is 12.5 cm high and 10 cm across the mouth. The ewer is thin pale green glass, egg-shaped. Its lip is pinched narrow like a bird's beak for easy pouring. The slender neck and thin, wide trumpet foot are seen on vessels of the Persian tradition. Ten thin blue lines ring the neck, a slightly thicker line the rim, and a thick blue glass handle is attached in an L. Gold wire is wound round the handle, which suggests it had been damaged and mended before it went into the tomb. The cup, of the same pale green glass, is shaped like a beaker, wide above and narrow below. The rim is turned into a hollow tube with a single band of blue glass above it. A wave pattern in blue glass runs round the upper body, and a lattice is raised on the lower. Both were badly broken when excavated but have been restored so that their original form can be seen. Found very close together, they seem to have been a set. The quality of the glass and the form and colour of the vessels suggest they were imported from the Western Regions, and they show the cultural exchange with the lands to the west at the time.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

National Treasure · 국보