Wooden Bowl

Physical Description:

Large oblong, rectangular wooden bowl with rounded ends.

These large bowls (hamji) were made by carving out large, single pieces of wood. Notches or handles have been carved out on two opposite sides of the outer walls, making them easy to carry. Round hamji bowls were sometimes carved on a turning lathe, but those with notches could be made by carving out single lengths of wood with an adz. These bowls were used in towns and the countryside alike. Affluent households would possess sets of large, medium-sized, and small bowls with notches piled up together. When grinding mung beans, beans, or red beans, such bowls are placed below a grindstone supported by a tripod.

[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2017) p. 274]

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