Ruler
Painted ox horn was used to decorate a range of objects from large furniture to smaller everyday wares, such as boxes, mirror stands, and sewing implements. By the late Joseon, the ox horn decorative technique was fully developed. The horn would be cut into very thin sheets and then one side would be painted. Due to the near transparency of the sheet, the painting could be seen through to the other side. The painted side would then be adhered to the object using a lacquer-resin adhesive.
The ruler has twelve segments on each side. With the exception of crabs on one end, all the segments are decorated with colorful fish swimming amid sea grass and lily pads.
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