Duck-Shaped Vessels

Three Kingdoms Period
h. of right vessel = 14.5 cm (5.7 in)
Daegu National Museum
Daegu, Korea

Figural stem cups were used as ceremonial vessels for deposit in tombs; Koreans believed that the soul was carried to its afterlife on the backs of the birds. The vessels are hollow-bodied and decorated with dangles. They were filled from the cups on their back, and poured from the opening above their tail.