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Not currently on display at the V&A

Fragment

1800-1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Simple glazed ceramics with refined shapes were popular in Korea during the Choson period (1392-1910). Cobalt blue was used to decorate some of these ceramics. This pigment had to be imported from China, which made it expensive. As a result, its use was sometimes banned as it represented an extravagance at odds with the austerity of the Confucian values that held sway in the Choson period. Generally, blue and white ceramics were used in households of the upper echelons of society: at court and among the literati.

Two characters have been painted onto the exterior surface of this bowl in cobalt blue. These are 'pok' meaning happiness and 'su' meaning long life.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Porcelain, glazed with underglaze blue decoration
Brief description
Cer, Korea, porcelain fragment, Choson period
Physical description
Fragment of bowl with bright white porcelain body and thick wall. Two Chinese characters, each approximately 20mm square written on exterior in underglaze cobalt blue. These are 'pok' meaning happiness and 'su' meaning long life. The cobalt blue has fluxed a little. Glaze has blueish tinge, especially where it has pooled on theexterior rim. Footring glazed. Kiln material adhered to the footring and base of the bowl. Edges show clean breaks.
Dimensions
  • Width: 97mm
  • Height: 53mm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
Transliteration
.
Credit line
Given by Sheila E. Hoey Middleton
Summary
Simple glazed ceramics with refined shapes were popular in Korea during the Choson period (1392-1910). Cobalt blue was used to decorate some of these ceramics. This pigment had to be imported from China, which made it expensive. As a result, its use was sometimes banned as it represented an extravagance at odds with the austerity of the Confucian values that held sway in the Choson period. Generally, blue and white ceramics were used in households of the upper echelons of society: at court and among the literati.

Two characters have been painted onto the exterior surface of this bowl in cobalt blue. These are 'pok' meaning happiness and 'su' meaning long life.
Bibliographic reference
Middleton, Sheila. "Choson Period Sherds from the British Embassy Site, Seoul." in Orientations 23:12 (December 1992): 57-60
Collection
Accession number
FE.54-2009

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Record createdAugust 10, 2009
Record URL
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