Fine lacquerware puts new sheen on Gaya craftsmanship

Korea Herald

25-03-2025

Dish on cone-shaped stand shows high level of artistic sophistication, researchers say
CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang Province — A decade since an archaeological excavation, government researchers are now shedding light on ancient craft-making in the southern part of Korean Peninsula.
'This dish on high pedestal demonstrates the sophistication of Korean craft some 2,000 years ago,' Kim Ji-yeon, a researcher at the Gaya National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, told reporters as she held a dish on a pointed stand Monday.
Kim is a member of a Korea Heritage Service-run team that studies discoveries related to Gaya (42-562), a confederacy of city-states that was later annexed by the Silla Kingdom (57 BC–935 AD). The team, launched in 2015, believes its findings could reshape our understanding of the ancient confederacy, from everyday life to life in the palace.
The lacquered Gaya dish on a pointed stand, Kim said, shows exceptional craftsmanship: The stem connecting the dish and the base is the thinnest in East Asia, and the mounted dish, stem and base were crafted out of a single wooden piece, a technologically more challenging feat compared to creating the parts separately and joining them later.
The dish on a pointed stand was one of the 15 artifacts whose discovery was announced Monday, lacquered wooden dishwares excavated at the end of last year at a site in Bonghwa-dong in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province.
Digging at the site, the Gaya palace grounds, began in 2015. The artifacts were moved to nearby Changwon where the Gaya National Research Institute showcased them in tightly-sealed glass boxes.
The artifacts are thought to have been used for ancestral rites and likely made between the first and fourth centuries, according to Kim.
'It's also quite unusual to see all these 15 pieces in good condition overall,' Kim said of the pieces, made of East Asian alder wood, which is resistant to the effects of bad weather.
In addition to the 15 artifacts, the institute excavated some 300 items of wooden lacquerware including dishware, household items and farming tools. They, too, were made between the first and fourth centuries, according to the institute.
The Gimhae excavation project is expected to run through 2027 as researchers identify the artifacts.
Meanwhile, the Korea Heritage Service opened a storage facility inside an abandoned tunnel in Haman-gun in South Gyeongsang Province to store relics found nearby.
The Mogok Tunnel storage marks the fourth of its kind since 2021, and the agency said it will build a nationwide network of storage facilities as demand for them grows.
Lee Jong-hoon, the KHS director general, likened storage facilities to 'cultural stations,' saying residents nearby can drop by to see not only artifacts but interactive exhibitions related to them, as well.
[e-mail]