Wedding Fan (Cleveland Museum of Art 1918.558)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
mid-1800s
In the Joseon period, women between the ages of 14 and 20 were matched with a husband through an arranged marriage. Even during the marriage ceremony, a bride was supposed to veil her face with this type of embroidered fan as a gesture of chastity. The fan’s body is made of paper and silk trimmed with a gilded metal rim. On the front, four cranes—one pair in blue, the other in yellow—are stitched along with auspicious clouds. The back is adorned with dragons flying amid clouds. The metal band vertically running down the center is incised with a bat, a symbol of wealth. Cleveland Museum of Art object 1918.558: Wedding Fan (진주선 [眞珠扇]), mid-1800s. Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). Copper alloy; satin weave silk; silk and metal thread embroidery; and paper; diameter: 25.6 cm (10 1/16 in.). Details are those of this museum object; how far it represents a wider type has not been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This fan was not to cool oneself, but rather to veil a bride's face during a wedding ceremony as a gesture of chastity.
Physical characteristics
- Materials
- Copper alloy; satin weave silk; silk and metal thread embroidery; and paper
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 25.6 cm (10 1/16 in.)
- Measurements
- Diameter: 25.6 cm (10 1/16 in.)
- Material and technique
- Copper alloy; satin weave silk; silk and metal thread embroidery; and paper
Identification
- Date recorded
- mid-1800s
- Culture period
- Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Museum object number
- 1918.558
- Published references
- Ye, Yonghae. "Buchae." Yeyonghae chŏnjip . Soeul: Daewonsa, 2002. · Sim, Nam-ho. "Empirical Study on the Fan in latter Chosun Dynasty." Dong asia godaehak vol. 49 (March 2018): 243–270. · Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, and 국외소재문화재재단. The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art . Edited by An Min-hŭi. First edition, English ed. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Series, 16. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2021. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 238, no. 133 · "February 2021 Object of the Month." The Asian Art Newspaper: Monthly for Collectors, Dealers, Museums and Galleries, 31 January 2021.
- Museum classification
- Miscellaneous
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: this record describes a single museum object; confirm maker, materials and date against decorative-arts references.