Iron Water Vessel (Deumeu)
Crude iron
19th century
86(d) x 48(h) cm
A “deumeu” (Korean, 드므) is a large iron vessel typically found in a Korean royal palace or temple, where it would be placed around the four sides of an important building and used to store water. The water inside was stored in case of emergency - namely it would be used to extinguish any fire that might break out in the palace. While in this sense it serves a clear practical purpose, the vessel also carries symbolic meaning. It was believed that intruders who might sneak into the palace to set it ablaze would be startled by a glimpse of their sinister reflection in the water, and retreat. In this way the deumeu could be considered to be filled with the hopes and prayers of those who placed it there, praying for the protection of the life and valuables within.
The deumeu was cast in three pieces - the hemispherical bottom piece, the upright middle ring, and then the upper lip - which were joined into one vessel. It sits on a separately cast tripod base. The vessel is encircled by three decorative rims along the top, and two along the bottom. Between these a saw-tooth triangular pattern is embossed, and in each triangular section is a flower ornament has been delicately raised. One particular triangular section is embossed with writing - a set of two characters followed by three more characters below. The characters are slightly worn and therefore difficult to decipher definitively, but are believed to read 會寧 (회녕, “the peace of a group of people gathered”), followed by 天興祥 (천흥상, “good fortune emanating from heaven”).
A prominent “deumeu” which is found in front of Seoul’s Deoksugung Palace offers another interesting example. After the Korean Empire was established, marking Korea’s autonomy from other nations, the deumeu at Deoksugung Palace was inscribed with the the words “man se” (萬世) - words which could only be used for an emperor, and proclaimed the yearning for the longevity and sovereignty of the new empire. In this way, the inscription on a deumeu indicates the owner’s belief that the deumeu will be filled not just with water, but with these very wishes and yearnings he has inscribed. These wishes and yearnings are entrusted to it for safekeeping, just as the water inside.