Bronze Incense Burner with Silver-inlaid Design of Tongdosa Temple (2002)

This is the largest known goblet-shaped bronze incense burner with silver-inlaid design (a hyangwan) surviving from the Goryeo and Joseon periods in Korea. It is a typical goblet-shaped incense burner, consisting of a bowl-shaped body with a wide rim and a trumpet-shaped foot. On the body, four circular medallions containing Sanskrit letters inlaid in silver plate are placed symmetrically at four points, and the spaces between them are decorated all over with fine-line silver-inlaid lotus scroll and ruyi-head patterns. The foot, fitted with a disc-shaped base, is decorated at the top with elongated, rectangular, downward-facing lotus petals, and at the bottom with a symmetrical pair of phoenixes flying amid clouds with their wings fully spread. An inscription incised on the back of the incense burner records that it was made in 1674, the 15th year of King Hyeonjong of Joseon, by Sin Ae-nam. This incense burner follows the typical goblet form of Goryeo-period silver-inlaid bronze incense burners, and among the few surviving Joseon-period examples of this type, it is an important piece bearing a clear inscription recording its date of production, its caster, and the temple where it was enshrined. Moreover, despite being made in the late Joseon period, when Confucianism held sway, it is notable for its large size, its outstanding silver-inlay technique, its delicate patterns, and the new joining method whereby the body and foot were cast separately and then joined, making it valuable material for the study of the history of crafts of the period.

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Where it is

Region

Yangsan, Gyeongnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물