Box and Cover with Inlaid Phoenix Design

918–1392

Box and Cover with Inlaid Phoenix Design, 918–1392. Korea, Goryeo period (918-1392). Earthenware; diameter: 19.4 cm (7 5/8 in.); overall: 12.7 cm (5 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Collection 1916.1186 Celadons, spoons, seals, and bronze mirrors were the most common burial objects in tombs during the Goryeo period (918–1392). Once used to contain colored powder, rouge, and eyebrow gel for makeup, this small container was one of the standard goods that furnished elites' tombs. Both women and men used the grain powder of rice or millet for whitening their skin, safflower extract for rouge, and plant ash or soot for eyebrow gel. Yet, natural-looking makeup seems to have been the most favorable one in Korea according to the travelogue by Xu Jing (1091–1153), the Chinese diplomat who visited Korea in 1123. This lidded ceramic container was used to store either incense or cosmetics.