Celadon Melon-shaped Bottle

A vase found in the tomb of King Injong of Goryeo in Jangdan, Gyeonggi, together with a book dated to the sixth year of Huangtong (1146). It is 22.8 cm high, and 8.8 cm across both the mouth and the base. A very aristocratic piece, its melon-shaped body has a flower for a mouth; a long neck rises above, and a tall foot pleated like a skirt supports it — a neat and refined vase. A clear jade-green glaze tinged with pale green is applied thin and even. Identical celadon sherds have been found, notably around kiln sites 7 and 8 at Sadang-ri, Gangjin, South Jeolla. The form appears among finds from other Goryeo tombs as well, and similar bottles have been found at the Cizhou and Jingdezhen kilns in China. Made in the early twelfth century, the height of Goryeo celadon, it is judged the most beautiful of the melon-shaped vases, for its elegant, composed form and the soft colour of its jade-green glaze.

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Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

National Treasure · 국보