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This porcelain jar has a voluptuous body and a bud-shaped knob on its lid. With its milk color, this jar from the early Joseon Dynasty shows the confident energy and the social atmosphere of the new dynasty. The foot of the jar is still marked with fine clean sand used during firing. |
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This bottle shows good harmony between the white porcelain body and the lotus flower pattern. In the early Joseon Dynasty, the brown clay inlay technique of the Goryeo celadon was borrowed to create 'brown inlay porcelain,' a style which briefly appeared during the 15th and 16th centuries. The lotus blossom is expressed with dots, according to the popular style of the time. This piece was made in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. |
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This jar shows a dragon inlaid with brown iron sand on greyish white porcelain body. Due to the lack of blue dye in the 17th century, white porcelain using underglaze iron-brown was widely popular along with energetic patterns. This particular piece was made in a provincial kiln and shows a dragon, symbol of authority and dignity, in a simplified and yet daring fashion. |
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This big-shouldered porcelain jar shows birds and flowers painted in cobalt blue pigment. Various kinds of white porcelain with blue patterns began to be made in the mid and late 18th century. They were considered as highly valuable and thus were mostly created in the kilns operated by the govenment. They are usually decorated with a painting by competent artists. The pattern on this particular piece looks almost like a painting with the varying shades of the blue pigment. The bottom of its foot is still marked with thick sand used during firing. |
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This jar has flowers and vines painted in red pigment on its shoulder and double circular doors on its squared body. The red pigment is mostly made of copper, and this patterning technique is called copper painting, which first appeared on the Goryeo celadon in the 12th century. |
| The copper painting technique then disappeared and reappeared to gain popularity after the 18th century during the Joseon Dynasty. White porcelain jars with copper painting was mostly made in provincial kilns, featuring their unique shapes and patterns. |
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This jar is also called the 'moon jar' because of the shape that resembles the full moon. The proportions are very stable and the milky white color is of excellent quality. A moon jar takes a simple shape typically without any decoration, and yet it captures the beauty and style of a Joseon white porcelain with high dignity. |
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Showing dragons flying through the clouds as painted in blue pigment, this large tall jar is called a 'dragon jar.' This type of jar was used for royal ceremonies or sacrificial offering to the ancestors, and gained popularity in the late 18th century. In the middle of the body are two very detailed dragons playing with a Cintamani and flying through the clouds as if swimming among them. |
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This water dropper is called a "knee-shaped water dropper" because its shape is reminiscent of a person's knee. This piece is of a larger size than other one. Without a major decoration, this particular piece features a quiet dignity with its pure white color and simple curved line. A knee-shaped water dropper was mostly made in the branch kiln in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province in the 19th century, and was mostly a pure white porcelain with or without a simple blue pattern. |
