Lock with inscription and decoration
Locks meld function and design to safeguard precious goods. The highly ornamented examples here bear auspicious inscriptions that build on their protective purpose. Some reflect the desire to lead a long and happy life, while others express the owner’s wish for material riches. From left to right, they read: three lifetimes, wealth rises by itself (삼세 금왕자생); peace under heaven (천하 태평심); thousand autumns, king’s agelessness forevermore (천추 성수만세); and bright life full of blessings (일광 백복일생).
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