Water Sprinkler thumbnail 1
Water Sprinkler thumbnail 2
+6
images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Korea, Room 47g

Water Sprinkler

1200-1250 (made)
Place of origin

The kundika (water sprinkler) was a popular object during the Koryo dynasty (918-1392), when it was made in ceramics as well as bronze. This kundika has an ovoid shouldered body, a tall neck surmounted by a disc-shaped piece and a slender tubular spout. On one side of the shoulder there is a projecting mouth through which to fill the vessel with water, and on the base there is a recessed ring. It is covered with a crackled celadon glaze and has black-and-white inlaid decoration featuring willow trees and swimming ducks.
The development of sanggam inlay is one of the crucial components of Koryo celadon making. The method was an independent achievement by Koryo craftsmen at a time when inlay was not used by Chinese potters, and it has come to represent the elegance and gracefulness of Koryo period art. The inlay technique is believed to have derived from metal and lacquer wares on which it had been used several centuries earlier. The method of inlay is different to that of incised and carved designs. First the motif is carved into the clay body, and the resulting grooves are covered with black or white slip. Excess slip is scraped off and the piece is biscuit fired, before being glazed and fired again. The ensuing design is clearly visible underneath the thin and highly translucent glaze.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Celadon-glazed, thrown stoneware, with inlaid decoration
Brief description
Celadon kundika with inlaid willow and duck design
Physical description
The water sprinkler has an ovoid shouldered body, a tall neck surmounted by a disc-shaped piece and a slender tubular spout. On one side of the shoulder there is a projecting mouth to fill the vessel with water and it has a recessed ring on the base. It is covered with a crackled celadon glaze and has black and white inlaid decoration featuring swimming ducks and willow trees. There are large cracks on the body.

This kind of sprinkler is a Buddhist shape which reached Korea and China from India. Of the two openings, the narrow mouth at the top of the neck was for scattering water for purification during temple services, the short spout was for filling it.

Willow designs are inlaid in a painterly manner on opposite sides of the body, and the remaining space is decorated with a pair of swimming ducks inlaid in black and white clay. The crackled glaze is a deep greenish colour. The lid is missing and the glaze has been wiped off the underside of the foot, which bears spur marks made of fireclay mixed with sand. It is thought that the kundika was produced at a kiln in Yucheon-ri, Buan, in the early 13th century.
Dimensions
  • Height: 34.3cm
  • Mouth diameter: 1.4cmcm
  • Base diameter: 8.9cm
  • Widest diameter: 13.8cm
Style
Gallery label
Green-glazed water sprinkler Korea Koryo. period, 1150.1200 In Sanskrit, this type of water sprinkler is called a kundika. It was introduced to Korea for Buddhist purification ceremonies, but became more widely used. The decorative willow trees and waterfowl were carved into the half-dry body and filled with two different compounds to create areas of white and black. The inlay technique was a Korean speciality, invented after 1100. Glazed stoneware with inlaid decoration Museum no. C.743-1909(September 2009)
Object history
Purchased from Mr. J. S. T. Audley (25 Brook Street, Grosvenor Square, W.), accessioned in 1909. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The kundika (water sprinkler) was a popular object during the Koryo dynasty (918-1392), when it was made in ceramics as well as bronze. This kundika has an ovoid shouldered body, a tall neck surmounted by a disc-shaped piece and a slender tubular spout. On one side of the shoulder there is a projecting mouth through which to fill the vessel with water, and on the base there is a recessed ring. It is covered with a crackled celadon glaze and has black-and-white inlaid decoration featuring willow trees and swimming ducks.
The development of sanggam inlay is one of the crucial components of Koryo celadon making. The method was an independent achievement by Koryo craftsmen at a time when inlay was not used by Chinese potters, and it has come to represent the elegance and gracefulness of Koryo period art. The inlay technique is believed to have derived from metal and lacquer wares on which it had been used several centuries earlier. The method of inlay is different to that of incised and carved designs. First the motif is carved into the clay body, and the resulting grooves are covered with black or white slip. Excess slip is scraped off and the piece is biscuit fired, before being glazed and fired again. The ensuing design is clearly visible underneath the thin and highly translucent glaze.
Bibliographic references
  • Beth McKillop. Korean Art and Design. London: V&A, 1992. pp.52-53, plate 15.
  • John Ayers. Far Eastern Ceramics at the V&A. London, plate 279.
  • Liz Wilkinson. Birds, Bats & Butterflies in Korean Art. London: Sun Tree Publishing, Singapore, 1996. pp.8-9.
  • Liefkes, Reino and Hilary Young (eds.) Masterpieces of World Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publishing, 2008, pp. 38-39.
  • National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage. Daejeon: National Research Institue of Cultural Heritage, 2013, p. 121.
Collection
Accession number
C.743-1909

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest