Ulaanbaatar
A bowl that “gives birth”
Art & Culture
Sukhbaatar /MONTSAME/. One of the valuable artifacts being kept at the Ethnographic Museum of Sukhbaatar aimag is the bowl that “gives birth”. It is named as such due to how you can discover a smaller bowl inside of it by removing the lid at the bottom.
The set of bowls were crafted by craftsman N.Amartaivan, who is the grandson of a famous local craftsman named N.Zundui, as a commission for the Sukhbaatar aimag museum. He created the small bowl in aims of creating the smallest bowl made with Dariganga craftsmanship.
The small bowl /the “son” bowl/
The smallest bowl made with Dariganga craftsmanship has a diameter of 6.2 cm and a height of 2.9 cm, while the bowl’s bottom side has a diameter of 3.3 cm. Traditional ulzii and cloud patterns as well as a lotus flower is illustrated by coating metal with varnish at the bottom. Inside the bowl, 5 red petals are embossed, with illustrations of seeds, petals and green leaves with 5 blue leaves in between.
The big bowl /the “mother” bowl/
The bowl has a height of 8.4 cm, diameter of 15.2 cm, depth of 3.8 cm, with the diameter of its bottom side as 3.3 cm. A yin yang symbol is illustrated inside the bowl, with patterns of waves surrounding it. Near the bottom side of the bowl, the traditional tumen nast and ulzii patterns are engraved, with 102 beads embedded.
