Page 104 - Symbols_of_Identity_Korean_Ceramics_from the Chang Collection

f similar but larger and more elaborate form to cat.
O81, the shape of this censer is derived from a Chinese
bronze vessel form. The bulbous body of this white porcelain
incense burner with blue-toned glaze sits on a relatively tall
foot. Two flanges grow out from opposite sides of the body
and connect to the flattened, disk-like collar encircling the
lip. The flanges are incised with a line that follows the edges
of the appendages and with abstract tendril-like scrolls in the
center. The mouth of the vessel has a short collar on which
the lip of the lid settles into. The lid is decorated with four
sets of pierced Palgoe, separated by columns of three pierced
holes. The knob is a polyhedron pierced by a hole on each
side. The areas where the vessel and lid come into contact
with each other are free of glaze. The glazed base has faint
radiating “chatter marks” caused by the trimming of the foot
82. with a potter’s knife. The footrim is free of glaze and has a bit
Lidded incense burner of kiln grit adhesions, as does the base. There are still rem-
18th–19th century, Joseon nants of incense resin on the underside of the lid.
TL results: fired between 250 & 400 years ago
Porcelain The form of this censer is copied from a Chinese ceremonial
H: 18.2 cm, W: 14.3 cm vessel called a round ding (Ch), which has origins dating to
the Chinese Neolithic period (ca. 6000–2000 BC). The as-
sociated natural phenomena and names of the four trigrams
used to decorate the lid of this incense burner are as follows:
thunder (Kr: Jin, Ch: Zhèn), water (Kr: Gam, Ch: Kăn), lake/
marsh (Kr: Tae, Ch: Duì), and fire (Kr: Ri, Ch: Lí). It is un-
certain whether there was a reason for using these four spe-
cific trigrams. It is likely they were used mainly in reference
to the Chinese classics and the trigrams’ association with
intellectual and spiritual pursuits. This incense burner was
probably used within an ancestor altar setup. It would have
been placed on a low incense table, together with an incense
box, in front of the main altar setup and memorial tablet.

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