White Porcelain Placenta Jars and Stone Placenta Tablet (1993)

These are Joseon-period white porcelain placenta jars. The outer jar stands 30.9 cm high, with a mouth diameter of 21.4 cm and a base diameter of 14.1 cm; the inner jar stands 19.2 cm high, with a mouth diameter of 10.6 cm and a base diameter of 8.3 cm. The accompanying placenta tablet measures 26.6 cm × 26.7 cm × 4.6 cm. A placenta jar is a jar used to hold the placenta of a newborn prince or princess of the royal family; it was buried together with a placenta tablet recording the child's name and date of birth. The outer jar has a wide mouth that curves slightly outward, a short neck, and a body that is broad at the top and narrows towards the base. Four loop handles are attached at the shoulder, designed to be tied through four holes in the knob of a pot-lid-shaped cover to hold it in place. The whole surface is evenly coated with a lustrous white porcelain glaze. The inner jar is similar in shape to the outer jar but somewhat smaller. The placenta tablet is a square black stone. Inscriptions on its front and back show that the jars were made in 1643 to hold the placenta of a prince known as Aji, who was born in 1639 and whose placenta was buried in 1643.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gwanak-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물