Buncheong Turtle-shaped Bottle with Sgraffito Peony Design in Underglaze Iron

A Joseon buncheong bottle used to carry wine or water out of doors. It is called a turtle bottle for its turtle-like shape, and is 9.4 cm high and 24.1 cm across. The whole bottle is thickly coated in white slip, and a peony flower and leaves are simply rendered on top. The white slip around the pattern was scraped away and black pigment applied, giving a strong contrast of black and white. This decorating technique, called sgraffito (bakji), is formally the finest of buncheong techniques. The sgraffito peony here is bold and lively in composition, and the ground was coated in black pigment to sharpen the contrast between pattern and ground. The base too is decorated with an incised peony. The foot is low, a band of scrolls runs round the edge of the base, and the glaze is a glossy grey-blue, though part of the base is oxidised and discoloured. Sgraffito and black pigment are well combined, bringing out the bold, free spirit peculiar to buncheong.

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Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

National Treasure · 국보