Oil Bottle
12th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This small oil bottle has an angular mouth, and its body is curved in an acute angle to have the shape of a ginkgo fruit. The upper part of the body is adorned with two leafy patterns painted in underglaze iron brown in swift brushstokes, and the glaze takes on a greenish-brown tint. It is assumed that this oil bottle was produced at a kiln site in Gangjin in the late 12th century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain, thrown, painted in brown slip under celadon glaze |
| Brief description | Oil bottle, porcelain painted in brown slip under a celadon glaze, Korea, Goryeo dynasty, late 12th century |
| Physical description | Oil bottle of flattened globular form, with two scrolling foliage on upper body painted in brown slip and covered with a crackled celadon glaze. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label | 2. Three celadon cosmetic oil bottles
Late 12th century to early 14th century
Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
Cosmetic oil bottles made of stoneware were used as early as the Unified Silla period (676–935). During the Goryeo dynasty, these bottles were made of celadon and decorated with a variety of techniques such as iron-brown underglazes, incisions or inlays. Smaller bottles kept perfumed oil and oils for mixing into pigments for makeup, while the larger bottles stored hair oils. These oils were often pressed from apricot stones, castor seeds, and rice bran.
Plain, inlaid celadon and celadon with iron
brown underglaze
Museum no. C.560-1918 given by Mr Aubrey Le Blond
Museum nos. CIRC.26-1928, C.521-1918 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This small oil bottle has an angular mouth, and its body is curved in an acute angle to have the shape of a ginkgo fruit. The upper part of the body is adorned with two leafy patterns painted in underglaze iron brown in swift brushstokes, and the glaze takes on a greenish-brown tint. It is assumed that this oil bottle was produced at a kiln site in Gangjin in the late 12th century. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.26-1928 |
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| Record created | February 3, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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