ID Number

Title

Item Name

Culture

Material

Manufacturing Technique

Date Made

Place Made

Date Collected

Date Owned

Owner

Acquisition Date

Source

Measurements

Item Classes

Condition

Current Location

Accession Number

Narrative

Collected by J. H. Morris while he was chief engineer for Seoul Railway, Korea.

Specific Techniques

This dish features inlaid patterns on celadon known as sanggam (상감; 象嵌). This involved engraving patterns onto partially dried clay bodies using sharp tools, filling the carvings with red or white clay, glazing them, and then firing them again. During the second firing, the red clay turned black and the white clay turned white, allowing artisans to create intricate and visually stunning patterns on the surface of the celadon. The use of this technique, along with the distinctive color of jade (비색; 翡色), made Goryeo celadon easily recognizable. The black and white patterns on a clear green background were signature features of Goryeo celadon. This stylized chrysanthemum pattern was popular in the late Goryeo dynasty; this bowl was inlaid using a chrysanthemum pattern seal. The silica stone spurs suggest this piece probably received special attention during the firing process, in the kiln. The spurs were used to support the vessel and minimize contact with the floor. The use of silica stone spurs (known as 규석 받침 in Korean) was a common practice when producing high-quality celadon compared to other methods, which involved using spurs made of fire clay, sand-mixed clay, or simply covering the bottom of the bowl with sand.

Iconographic Meaning

The lychee design on this bowl symbolizes abundance and prosperity due to the shape of the fruit. It was a common motif used in high-quality inlaid Goryeo celadon during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It is believed that lychees were introduced to Korea through cultural exchanges with China, as they are not native to the country.

History Of Use

This type of bowl is called bal (발; 鉢; bowl) or daejeop (대접; 大楪; bowl) in Korean. Bal refers to a wide, round-shaped bowl similar to wan (완; 碗; bowl), but larger. Bal became popular later than wan, during the Goryeo dynasty (고려; 高麗; 918–1392), and it is thought to have been used for tea or alcohol. There is no unified standard that distinguishes the bal from the wan, although some scholars refer to it as daejeop. Daejeop (대접; 大楪; bowl) is a daily term and refers to a large bowl that is typically used for soup or water. Believed to have been produced since the mid-twelfth century in Korea, their origins are not clear. The style likely derived from the practice of decorating bronze vessels with silver inlay, or inlaid lacquerware. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, this inlaid technique was widely used in the production of Goryeo celadon. All kinds of pottery and porcelain produced during the Goryeo dynasty sre called Goryeo dojagi (Goryeo ware; 고려도자기; 高麗陶磁器), and celadon (green-gray glazed ceramic) known as Goryeo cheongja (고려청자; 高麗青磁) was the main kind of ceramics produced during this period in Korea. Celadon originated in China, and Goryeo potters learned the techniques from the celadon traditions of the Song dynasty (960–1279) of China. The Buan (부안군) and Gangjin (강진군) regions in Jeolla Province (전라도) became the major production centres by the mid-twentieth century, and Gangjin remains the centre of the revival of Goryeo cheongja and modern celadon production.

Description

Celadon bowl. The interior has a band of stylized scroll (당초문; 唐草文) around the rim, four evenly-spaced lychee designs on walls, and one stylized chrysanthemum pattern at the centre. Exterior (from rim down) has band of two lines at the rim, four evenly spaced stylized chrysanthemum patterns outlined in circles, band of two lines, band of two lines at bottom, and four evenly-spaced chrysanthemum designs. Traces of three silica stone spurs underneath; the glaze colour is partially yellowish brown from oxidization during firing.