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Description

Dish (jeopsi 접시; 楪匙). Somewhat flower-shaped in that the outside rim is slightly indented at intervals (or lobed) to represent petals. The dish has a mould-impressed floral design on the surface. The inside of the dish has a slightly raised circular area, with six lines radiating out.

Specific Techniques

Thrown, moulded and glazed ceramic. The floral design was produced using a mould with intricate patterns. The mould-impression technique is called apchul yanggak (압출양각; 壓出陽刻), and was a popular decoration method for mid-Goryeo period celadons (12-13th centuries). It was usually applied to bowls or dishes that were wide enough to accommodate a mould. The process of making mould-impressed celadon involves the following: first shaping a vessel, then carving patterns onto the inner surface of the vessel using a sharp tool. Firing the vessel without applying glaze creates a basic mould (모범; 母範). After filling this mould with clay, the resulting piece is dried and removed from the mould. When the piece is fired again without glaze, it becomes a pattern mould (문양범; 文樣範). By pressing another piece of pottery onto the mould with pressure, the embossed pattern is transferred to the inner surface of the new vessel. There were three ways to make a flower-shaped dish: cutting the edges slightly, pressing from the outside to the inside using a slender tool, or using a flower-shaped mould.

History Of Use

Mould-impression decorated ceramics derived from kilns in China, during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). This method enabled the mass production of Goryeo celadons, with consistent patterns, shape, and quality, without relying on many skilled craftspeople, in order to meet the increasing demand for celadons during that period. Flower-shaped dishes were popular during the Goryeo dynasty in Korea, and their origin is thought to have been influenced by metal dishes from the Tang dynasty (618-907) in China. All kinds of pottery produced during the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) are called Goryeo dojagi (Goryeo ware; 고려도자기; 高麗陶磁器). Celadon (green-gray glazed) ceramics are known as Goryeo cheongja (고려청자; 高麗青磁) and were the main kind of ceramics produced during this period. Celadon originated in China; Goryeo potters learned the techniques from the celadon traditions of the Song dynasty (960–1279). The Buan (부안군) and Gangjin (강진군) regions, in Jeolla province (전라도), became the major production centres by the mid twentieth century. Gangjin remains the centre of revivals of Goryeo cheongja and modern celadon production.