Long-necked celadon bottle with inlays and underglaze copper red thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Korea, Room 47g

Long-necked celadon bottle with inlays and underglaze copper red

Celadon Bottle
1200-1250 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This 13th-century bottle has a globular body and a long slender neck, to one side of which is a small loop. It is covered with a celadon glaze, beneath which is black-and-white inlaid decoration. This decoration features four roundels enclosing either a chrysanthemum or peony spray, with willow trees adorning the space between each roundel. There is a band of lotus petals around the shoulder and the foot, leafy sprays on the neck, and a squared spiral border around the mouth. There are touches of underglaze copper red on the peonies. Underglaze copper-red is quite rare on celadons of the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392). Examples of brilliant red colour achieved by using underglaze copper pigment are rare because of the difficulty in stabilizing copper pigment.

Some areas on the neck and foot are unglazed, and there is some gold lacquer repair to the rim. The small loop has been restored, and there is a firing crack on the base that extends to the body.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleLong-necked celadon bottle with inlays and underglaze copper red (generic title)
Materials and techniques
celadon clay, thrown, inlaid, underglaze painted, and celadon glaze
Brief description
Long-necked celadon bottle with inlaid peony, chrysanthemum, and willow design highlighted with underglaze copper red
Physical description
The bottle has a globular body and a long slender neck, to one side of which is a small loop. It is covered with a celadon glaze underneath which there is black and white inlaid decoration. The decoration features four roundels enclosing either a chrysanthemum or peony spray with willows between each roundel. There is a band of lotus petals around the shoulder and the foot, leafy sprays on the neck, and a squared spiral border around the mouth. There are touches of underglaze copper red on the peonies. Some areas on the neck and foot are unglazed, there is gold lacquer repair to the rim. The small loop has been restored and there is a firing crack on the base which extends to the body.
(bib: "Korean Art in the United Kingdom. Part 1: The collections at London and Oxford. Sir John Figgess. Korean Culture, vol.6, no. 2, p.10, plate 6.)
Dimensions
  • Height: 35cm
  • Diameter: 17.5cm
  • Mouth diameter: 4.2cm
  • Base diameter: 11.5cm
Style
Object history
Purchased from Yamanaka & Co., accessioned in 1911. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This 13th-century bottle has a globular body and a long slender neck, to one side of which is a small loop. It is covered with a celadon glaze, beneath which is black-and-white inlaid decoration. This decoration features four roundels enclosing either a chrysanthemum or peony spray, with willow trees adorning the space between each roundel. There is a band of lotus petals around the shoulder and the foot, leafy sprays on the neck, and a squared spiral border around the mouth. There are touches of underglaze copper red on the peonies. Underglaze copper-red is quite rare on celadons of the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392). Examples of brilliant red colour achieved by using underglaze copper pigment are rare because of the difficulty in stabilizing copper pigment.

Some areas on the neck and foot are unglazed, and there is some gold lacquer repair to the rim. The small loop has been restored, and there is a firing crack on the base that extends to the body.
Bibliographic references
  • Bethe McKillop.
  • Korean Art and Design.
  • London: V&A,
  • 1992.
  • 217.
  • Nigel Wood, Rose Kerr.
  • Graciousness to Wild usterity: Aesthetic dimensions of Korean ceramics explored through technology.
  • London: Orientations,
  • 1992/12.
  • 401.
  • John Ayers.
  • Oriental Art in the V&A.
  • London: Scala/V&A/Philip Wilson,
  • 1983.
  • page 41.
  • Nick Pearce.
  • "The Samsung Gallery of Korean Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum.".
  • London: Arts of Asia, vol.22.6,
  • 1992.
  • p.128, fig.7.
  • National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage. Daejeon: National Research Institue of Cultural Heritage, 2013, p. 111.
Collection
Accession number
C.72-1911

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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