White Porcelain Bottle with Auspicious-character and Orchid Design in Underglaze Cobalt Blue

Made in the late Joseon period, this piece measures 21.1 cm in height, 3.6 cm in mouth diameter, and 7.8 cm in base diameter. It is a gourd-shaped bottle in which a long-necked bottle sits atop an octagonal jar-shaped body, a form that newly appeared in the late Joseon period. Full of characteristically Korean humour, this bottle joins a neat, faceted jar below with a bottle of supple curves above, so that straight edges and curves harmonise to give a fresh, novel impression. Using a bright blue pigment, the decoration shows a skilfully painted chilbo (auspicious-symbol) design on both sides of the upper bottle, while the lower jar bears orchid designs in full bloom, rendered with relative neatness in three places. The glaze is a white glaze tinged with pale blue, spread evenly over the whole surface, and the foot is a broad, stable footring. Since fragments of gourd-shaped bottles of this kind have been found at the Geumsa-ri kiln site in Gwangju, the piece is presumed to have been made in the first half of the 18th century. It is a work of refined form in which the blue-painted design sits well.

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Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물