Heugyuho and Heugyu Ritual Ewer

Heugyuho is a jar shaped from grey-blue celadon clay with thick walls, formed and then thinly coated inside and out with black glaze (heugyu). The glaze on the interior is well applied, and the glazed surface shows an even network of fine crackle. Apart from some loss of glaze caused by oxidation, the piece is in good condition; traces of clay slip remaining around the foot suggest it was excavated. It was shaped as a lidded jar, after which the body was flattened into four faces, the ridges where the faces meet curved into a lozenge-like shape. On one face of the body, a figure seated in the lotus position is simply incised with a sharp tool. The Heugyu Ritual Ewer has an angular, short spout on its shoulder, taking the form typical of jeongbyeong (ritual water ewers used in Buddhist and Confucian rites), which were often made in bronze or celadon. However, as a porcelain piece this ewer appears to follow an early, linear style: unlike the typical Goryeo-period jeongbyeong, which has a long neck, its neck above the middle joint is comparatively short. It is therefore presumed to be one of the black-glazed wares fired in the 12th century. The Heugyuho and Heugyu Ritual Ewer held by the Dong-A University Museum were excavated from the same site and are both 12th-century Goryeo black-glazed ceramics, shaped from celadon clay and then coated with black glaze. The Heugyuho in particular, with its distinctive form — its body flattened into four faces with the ridges rendered in a lozenge shape — and its incised depiction of a human figure on one face of the body, is an artefact of considerable academic and artistic value.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Seo-gu, Busan

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산