Celadon Bottle with Lotus Design in Relief and Underglaze Iron

This is a Goryeo celadon bottle made around the 13th century, measuring 8.1 cm in height, 0.7 cm across the mouth and 2.7 cm across the base. It is a small gourd-shaped bottle: the upper part is an elongated lozenge shape with no swelling, while the lower body is close to circular. The glaze is transparent with minute bubbles, and the parts covered in iron slip (cheolchae) are a dark brown colour. Iron slip is applied around the mouth, and large leaf motifs are carved in relief over the whole upper section, with iron slip also applied to the raised parts; bead-like motifs are likewise carved in relief on the lower part of the upper section, with iron slip again applied to the raised areas. Lotus motifs are carved over the whole surface of the lower body. On the base is a mark in the shape of an asterisk (*), with the character 宮 ('palace') incised at its centre. This bottle is notable not only for its unusual shape and size but also for combining relief carving with iron slip. Although a small celadon piece, it is a distinctive work in its form, decoration and the inscription on its base.

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Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물