Ornament with Heron and Turtle Design

1100s

Ornament with Heron and Turtle Design, 1100s. Korea, Goryeo period (918-1392). Bronze; overall: 3.4 x 2.5 cm (1 5/16 x 1 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1917.1044.1 Metalworking techniques advanced remarkably during the Goryeo period (918–1392). Sophisticated metal objects with intricate designs were used not only as daily accessories, but also as burial goods for commemorating the dead. Traces of fibers found on the backs of these metal ornaments suggest that they were once used as brooches to hold garments together. This metal ornament is part of a decorative brooch once used to hold clothes together.