Celadon Box with Inlaid Boys and Flower Design
Cosmetic Box
1200-1250 (made)
1200-1250 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In Korea during the Koryo dynasty, 918-1392, inlaid decoration was introduced on green glazed ceramics. As well as vases, bottles, cups and jugs, small circular boxes like this one were made in considerable numbers, often bearing repetitive decorations incorporating plant, animal and figural designs. Here, two naked babies make part of the scrolling pattern that surrounds the centre of the lid. The sloping, ridged edge of the cover echoes a type of ceramic box made in Song dynasty China, and which was certainly known in Korea.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Celadon Box with Inlaid Boys and Flower Design (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | stoneware inlaid under a celadon glaze |
| Brief description | Cer, Korea, Koryo, celadon |
| Physical description | The box has a flat lid with rounded shoulders, and is inlaid with a motif of alternating chubby babies and flower-heads. Colour: Green, black and white A design of boys and flowers is symmetrically inlaid in black and white clay around a central device featuring a chrysanthemum in the middle. The sides are delicately incised with vertical grooves and the glaze is a greenish-blue colour. The underside of the foot is recessed and bears the marks of four spurs made of refractory clay mixed with sand. It is thought that the box was produced at a kiln in Gangjin in the early 13th century. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label | 3. Two celadon cosmetic boxes and a powder pot
Early 13th to early 14th century
Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
Celadon boxes with domed or flat lids were used to keep cosmetic powders and pastes. These were made of safflower and soot extracts and mixed with oils to create makeup for lips, cheeks and eyebrows. The spherical pot stored face powder made from ground rice and millet, which was used as a complexion-boosting exfoliant. A set of small lidded celadon boxes were sometimes kept inside a larger celadon box of the same shape.
Inlaid celadon
Museum nos. C.563&A-1918 given by Mr Aubrey Le Blond
Museum nos. C.65&A-1910, C.741-1909 |
| Object history | Purchased from John Sparks (17 Duke Street, Manchester Square, W), accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | In Korea during the Koryo dynasty, 918-1392, inlaid decoration was introduced on green glazed ceramics. As well as vases, bottles, cups and jugs, small circular boxes like this one were made in considerable numbers, often bearing repetitive decorations incorporating plant, animal and figural designs. Here, two naked babies make part of the scrolling pattern that surrounds the centre of the lid. The sloping, ridged edge of the cover echoes a type of ceramic box made in Song dynasty China, and which was certainly known in Korea. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.65-1910 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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