Lock for Chest

Physical Description:

A round metal lock meant to lock a chest. The front of the metal disc is decorated with a line carving of a Korean character surrounded by multiple carved circles and bulb-like motifs. Around the central design is a ring of larger circles.

Locks such as these nickel ones were used for locking chests or stacked chests. Their keys are missing. The Chinese characters “longevity (壽)” and “bliss (福)” are engraved on locks plate 296 (2009/2.88) and plate 297 (2009/2.89), respectively.

[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2017), 247]

Usage Rights:

If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.