White porcelain, made from a mixture of clay and crushed rock fired at a very high temperature, was first produced in Korea in the Koryo dynasty (918–1392). By the time this jar was made in the second half of the Choson dynasty (1392–1910), such porcelain had come to dominate ceramic production. Plain white wares, with their connotations of purity and honesty, were popular in a culture embedded in Confucian philosophy. However, porcelains painted under the glaze with iron brown, copper red and, as in this case, cobalt blue were also prized.

The shape of this jar – round with straightened sides – is characteristic of many Korean faceted vessels. The potter would make an object with extra thick walls, allowing him to slice off clay before painting, glazing and firing. Sprays of plum blossom are painted under the neck, while each straight side features a trigram enclosed in a double circle. Trigrams were used in divination and all Koreans would have recognised their inherent meanings. For example, the broken lines of the central trigram shown here suggest the north, the mother or submission.