Buncheong Jar with Fish Design in Underglaze Iron

This buncheong jar with a fish design in underglaze iron - buncheong being a grey Joseon-period stoneware coated with white slip - was made in the Joseon dynasty and stands 27 cm high, with a mouth diameter of 15 cm and a base diameter of 9.8 cm. The shoulder gradually widens so that the body is fullest just above centre, then narrows again to a small, low foot, giving the jar a compact, well-proportioned form. A vine-scroll band runs around the inside of the mouth and a band of lotus petals around the foot; the whole body was coated with white slip using a broad brush called a gwiyal. Using a dense black pigment, simple grass patterns were sparsely brushed on the shoulder, and large, distinctive lotus-flower patterns were sparsely placed on the lower body. At the centre of the body, two realistically drawn fish and lotus flowers are freely rendered using the techniques of stamping (inhwa), inlay (sanggam) and underglaze iron painting (cheolhwa) together. With its bright, greyish-blue lustre, this jar shows the widest range of decorative techniques found on any known piece of buncheong ware. The realistic yet bold rendering of the lotus and fish is of outstanding artistic quality, and the jar is also an important resource for ceramic research.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물