Celadon Kundika with Reeds and Wild Geese in Relief

This celadon kundika, a ritual water vessel used in Buddhist rites, was made in the mid-Goryeo period. It is 34.2 cm high, with a mouth diameter of 1.3 cm and a base diameter of 9.3 cm. On one side of the body, reeds at the water's edge and a pair of wild geese playing beneath them are carved; on the other side, a pair of mandarin ducks resting under a weeping willow are carved. The upper surface of the broad, conical node in the middle of the neck is divided into an inner and outer band, with a cloud design on the inner band and a scrolling vine design on the outer. A spout for pouring water rises vertically from this middle node, its edges cut away to form a hexagonal shape. The foot flares slightly outward, giving the piece a stable stance. The glaze is a clear, pale bluish-green, and its application is generally even. This kundika reworks, in celadon relief, the style of the silver-wire-inlaid bronze kundika with willow and waterfowl design (a National Treasure), whose form and technique had become highly refined by the Goryeo period, substituting celadon for the original material. Accordingly, it closely resembles the bronze kundika in form and curvature, and its decorative patterns are also similar.

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Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물