kärl, fat, Wooden ritual dish

This shallow round dish is raised on a flaring pedestal. The pedestal base is recessed, and the outer edge of the rim was trimmed diagonally. The pedestal joins the sides at a soft angle; the sides are gently curved and have an inward-turned, rounded rim. This raised dish was turned on a lathe from one piece of wood. The turning marks remain visible. Simple incised decoration, a line encircling the pedestal close to the base, and two rings on the interior of the dish – one at about 1/3 and one at about 2/3 of the diameter – add to the aesthetic appeal of the vessel. The surface was treated with a surface coating, possibly lacquer.

Wooden ritual vessels were used to present food offerings during ancestral ceremonies. It is assumed that this type of ritual vessel was mostly used for ceremonies held directly at the ancestors’ graves, since wood is a light material, and the vessels are easy to carry. On the other hand, ritual vessels made of ceramics and brass were predominantly used in ancestral shrines in people’s homes. The purpose of these vessels was restricted to ancestral rituals, and they were stored away in a specially designated place, usually at the household shrines, when not used.

Wood-turning is a traditional craft in Korea and craftspeople have been known for being especially skilful at turning wood, producing a large variety of round-shaped objects for ritual or everyday use such as dishes, bowls, trays, and small round tables (Korean: soban). To produce wooden wares, the wood was first cut and roughly shaped (Korean: chogari). After drying, the piece of wood was then worked into its final shape (Korean: jaegari). Wooden wares were typically finished with a surface coating of lacquer. Simple decorations of incised lines, along with the visible turning or tool marks and the natural pattern of the wood grain, give these objects a special aesthetic appeal.

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