Cup
1200-1300 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Celadons – stoneware with a beautiful grey–green glaze – dominate Korean ceramics of the Koryo dynasty (918–1392). This cup with a pointed base displays a decorative feature that developed after 1150: before applying the glaze and firing the vessel, the potter carved the lines of the decoration and filled them with white and red slip (clay mixed with water). In the heat of the kiln, the white slip remained the same colour while the red slip oxidised and blackened.
This cup served as a wine vessel and its shape identifies it as a kind of saddle cup, designed to be used on horseback. It features four inlaid chrysanthemums within double circles, a band of lotus petals at the base and a border of squared spirals at the mouth.
This cup served as a wine vessel and its shape identifies it as a kind of saddle cup, designed to be used on horseback. It features four inlaid chrysanthemums within double circles, a band of lotus petals at the base and a border of squared spirals at the mouth.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Stoneware, inlaid with black and white slips under a celadon glaze |
| Brief description | Cup with pointed base, stoneware with black-and-white inlaid decoration under a celadon glaze; Korea, Koryo dynasty, 1200-1300 |
| Physical description | Cup with pointed base, grey stoneware with greyish green celadon glaze, and designs inlaid in black and white slips. On the exterior, four chrysanthemum heads inside roundels, with a lotus petal band at the base and a fret border at the rim. Three spur marks on the bottom inside. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Purchased with Art Fund support, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities China Committee |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Celadons – stoneware with a beautiful grey–green glaze – dominate Korean ceramics of the Koryo dynasty (918–1392). This cup with a pointed base displays a decorative feature that developed after 1150: before applying the glaze and firing the vessel, the potter carved the lines of the decoration and filled them with white and red slip (clay mixed with water). In the heat of the kiln, the white slip remained the same colour while the red slip oxidised and blackened. This cup served as a wine vessel and its shape identifies it as a kind of saddle cup, designed to be used on horseback. It features four inlaid chrysanthemums within double circles, a band of lotus petals at the base and a border of squared spirals at the mouth. |
| Bibliographic reference | Beth McKillop. Korean Art and Design. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992.
p. 46, Plate 11 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.872-1936 |
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| Record created | February 3, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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