White Porcelain Moon Jar (2007-1)

White porcelain moon jars are large, usually over 40 cm high, and their round, milky-white form recalls a full moon, hence the name. They were made over about a century from the late seventeenth to the early eighteenth century (especially the fifty years of the early eighteenth) at the branch porcelain works of the Saongwon, the royal kitchen office, at Gwangju, Gyeonggi — the Joseon dynasty's only official kiln — and are thought to have been made mainly at the Geumsa-ri kiln among the 340 or so kilns then scattered across Gwangju. Too large to throw in one piece, they were made in upper and lower halves joined together, which makes both forming and firing very difficult. Their pure white beauty and sense of balance make them a distinctive and representative form of Korean white porcelain without parallel anywhere in the world. This national treasure moon jar is 44 cm high and 42 cm across the body, with a short mouth slanting at about 45 degrees and a round, very full body. There is almost no distortion at the join at the middle, so the side profile draws an almost perfect circle. The flare of the mouth and the upright foot are in harmony, full yet stable, and its complete overall balance shows the characteristics of the typical mid-Joseon white porcelain jar. The whole surface is evenly finished without traces of forming, showing that it was made under the best conditions, and the foot is nearly vertical and very neatly trimmed.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

National Treasure · 국보