Bottle with inlaid designs of willow and lotus

Bottle, pear-shaped; flaring mouth with gold lacquer repair; low, barely defined foot. Body surface under glaze roughly and irregularly trimmed and finished; a number of fissures, some through glaze surface.
Clay: porcelaneous, gray; biscuit surface iron-reddish where exposed during firing.
Glaze: transparent, glossy, pale celadon, uneven flow, fine mesh crackle, covers foot and part of base which have gritty kiln material adhering.
Decoration: incised and inlaid with white slip under glaze. Lotus petal band base of neck, two simple willow trees and a lotus flower on body.

Historical period(s)
Joseon period, first half of 15th century
Medium
Stoneware with white inlay under colorless glaze
Style
Buncheong ware
Dimensions
H x Diam: 31.9 x 18.3 cm (12 9/16 x 7 3/16 in)
Geography
Korea, Jeolla-do province
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1899.7
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Bottle

Keywords
Buncheong ware, clear glaze, flower, Joseon period (1392 - 1910), Korea, lotus, stoneware, white inlay
Provenance

To 1899
Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1899 [1]

From 1899 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1899 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] Undated folder sheet note. Also see Original Pottery List, L. 88, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Yamanaka and Co. (C.L. Freer source) 1917 - 1965

Description

Bottle, pear-shaped; flaring mouth with gold lacquer repair; low, barely defined foot. Body surface under glaze roughly and irregularly trimmed and finished; a number of fissures, some through glaze surface.
Clay: porcelaneous, gray; biscuit surface iron-reddish where exposed during firing.
Glaze: transparent, glossy, pale celadon, uneven flow, fine mesh crackle, covers foot and part of base which have gritty kiln material adhering.
Decoration: incised and inlaid with white slip under glaze. Lotus petal band base of neck, two simple willow trees and a lotus flower on body.

Label

In the Joseon period, pear-shaped bottles like this one largely replaced the broad-shouldered bottles more typical of the Goryeo dynasty. Compared to Goryeo inlay, the lotus flowers and willow tree sketched here are extremely simplified, leaving much of the surface plain.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort. Korean Ceramics in the Freer Gallery of Art. .
  • Roger Goepper. Treasures from Korea: Art Through 5000 Years. Exh. cat. London. cat. 178.
Collection Area(s)
Korean Art
Web Resources
Korean Ceramics in the Freer Gallery of Art
Google Cultural Institute
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