Washing Stone, South Korea

Flat on top, squared at the edges, with all the quiet confidence of a good doorstep.

This washing stone comes from South Korea and dates to the 20th century, in stone. Before the electric iron, Korean households commonly smoothed their linens and silks by beating them with wooden sticks on a stone of this kind, a task often remembered for its steady, drumming sound. This block is cut as a long, low rectangle. A shallow notch underneath leaves two short feet at the ends. The surface is a soft grey with green undertones, finely pitted and lightly worn where cloth once lay. It is 21 inches wide, 8 deep and 4.5 high.

Built for laundry, and now free to be sculpture.