Spirit House
Unknown Artist
late 1800s
Medium
iron inlaid with silver and copper decoration
Dimensions
30 × 35 × 14 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Korean Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of The Honorable Joseph P. Carroll and Roberta Carroll, M.D. in memory of Robert P. Bergman
Accession Number
1999.120.1
About this artwork
Many homes in premodern Korean society had a memorial shrine for preparing and holding ancestral rites. Placed on the top of a tall chair, this miniature edifice (called the spirit house) served as a temporary residence for visiting ancestral spirits. On the table, a variety of delicacies such as fruits, rice, meat, and wine would be placed to treat those spiritual guests.