Celadon Prunus Vase with Paste-on-paste Ginseng Leaf Design in Underglaze Iron

This celadon prunus vase (maebyeong) with a ginseng-leaf design in underglaze iron was made during the Goryeo dynasty. It stands 27.5 cm high, with a mouth diameter of 5 cm and a base diameter of 9.5 cm. It has a short neck with an angular mouth rim; the line running from the neck to the shoulder and body is not exaggerated, and the vase narrows from the body down to the base in a line that is almost straight. An iron-oxide pigment was applied over the celadon clay body (cheolchae, iron slip); only the areas of the design were then thinly carved away and painted over with white slip. It is rare to find a white design painted onto an iron slip in this way. The near-black colour of the iron slip and the simple, unadorned white ginseng leaves painted on the full, beautiful curve of the shoulder and body achieve a fine contrast and harmony. Very few examples of this iron-slip ware survive, and the kiln where it was fired is also uncertain. However, since fragments have been collected at the kilns of Daegu-myeon, Gangjin, it appears to have been produced there alongside ordinary celadon wares.

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Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물