Buncheong Bottle with Inlaid Peony and Willow Design

This is a bottle in the well-rounded, typical form of fifteenth-century buncheong ware, a Joseon stoneware coated with white slip, here decorated with a distinctive inlaid design. Bands of lotus-petal design in white line-inlay encircle the shoulder and lower body, and between them, at the centre of the vessel, peony and willow motifs are set alternately at four points. The front and back each bear a large peony of a different shape, with drooping willow branches stylised in white line-inlay set between them. Particularly striking is the strongly abstracted, highly rhythmic peony design, rendered in surface inlay (myeonsanggam) and boldly outlined in black. The glaze has a greyish-green tone and a good gloss, and the piece was fired on a bed of sand at the foot. The boldly abstract creativity of its design reaches a remarkable pitch that resonates with a modern design sensibility, and both its form and its decoration fully express the distinctive aesthetic of buncheong ware, making this an outstanding piece. It is a fine work that well demonstrates the aesthetic character of buncheong ware, creatively embodying the mature sensibility of the golden age of inlaid buncheong in the first half of the fifteenth century, and it therefore holds great historical and artistic value.

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Where it is

Region

Gwanak-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물