Water Clock at Deoksugung Palace

Until I did a little reading, I mistook these two bronze bronze relief pieces at Deoksugung Palace as sculptures. Instead, these national treasures are part of a water clock, constructed in 1536 and used by the royalty to mark the standard time of the kingdom. Elaborate dragons, believed to inhabit ponds and lakes of South East Asia, encircle the cylinders. In addition to the two original cylinders, three bronze bowls of the clock also remain. You can read more about the clepsydra-style water clock on Wikipedia.

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