Jar
1700-1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This faceted jar features freely rendered birds in flight in underglaze copper-red. Despite having been used from the 12th century on celadon wares, copper-red did not become popular during the Choson period (1392-1910) until the mid 18th century. Due to the unpredictability of copper and difficulties in controlling the kiln temperature, the red colour is here uneven and the motif is blurred in some places. Occasionally the colour would turn green or brown after firing.
In eighteenth and nineteenth century China polychrome enamels, introduced in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 AD), dominated, but none of them were ever made in Korea, where they are likely to have been considered too gaudy for the austere Confucian taste which prevailed during the Choson kingdom. In contrast, Korean potters typically used a narrower range of pigments, predominantly cobalt-blue and, to a lesser extent, iron-brown and copper-red.
In eighteenth and nineteenth century China polychrome enamels, introduced in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 AD), dominated, but none of them were ever made in Korea, where they are likely to have been considered too gaudy for the austere Confucian taste which prevailed during the Choson kingdom. In contrast, Korean potters typically used a narrower range of pigments, predominantly cobalt-blue and, to a lesser extent, iron-brown and copper-red.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain, thrown and sliced, with motifs in underglaze copper-red |
| Brief description | Jar, porcelain decorated in underglaze copper-red, Korea, Choson dynasty, 1700-1850 |
| Physical description | Jar of depressed globular form, short foot and short neck; moulded out-turned mouth. Four pairs of overlapping circles enclosing freely-rendered birds in flight are on the sides. At the shoulder, groups of five pennants. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This faceted jar features freely rendered birds in flight in underglaze copper-red. Despite having been used from the 12th century on celadon wares, copper-red did not become popular during the Choson period (1392-1910) until the mid 18th century. Due to the unpredictability of copper and difficulties in controlling the kiln temperature, the red colour is here uneven and the motif is blurred in some places. Occasionally the colour would turn green or brown after firing. In eighteenth and nineteenth century China polychrome enamels, introduced in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 AD), dominated, but none of them were ever made in Korea, where they are likely to have been considered too gaudy for the austere Confucian taste which prevailed during the Choson kingdom. In contrast, Korean potters typically used a narrower range of pigments, predominantly cobalt-blue and, to a lesser extent, iron-brown and copper-red. |
| Bibliographic reference | McKillop, Beth. Korean art and design: the Samsung gallery of Korean art. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992, Plate 32. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.86-1937 |
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| Record created | February 3, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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