Page 113 - Symbols_of_Identity_Korean_Ceramics_from the Chang Collection

94. his four-sided white porcelain brush container is incised
Brush container Ton the protruding lip and top quarter of the vessel with
18th–19th century, Joseon repeating diagonal lines and a triangular dog-tooth pat-
TL results: fired between 300 & 500 years ago tern that is similar to the dog-tooth pattern on the Unified
Porcelain Silla jar in cat. 7. The main section of the body is quartered
H: 14.3 cm, W: 9 cm and pierced to reveal four lozenges on each side. The foot is
carved in a way that imitates aprons found on wood furniture
or other types of woodwork. The base is coated in the grayish-
toned glaze, but the footrim is free of glaze.

Containers such as this were used for holding writing and paint-
ing brushes. Together with paper, ink, and inkstone, brushes
were considered one of the Confucian scholar’s “four treasures
of the scholars’ studio” (Kr: munbang-sabo, Ch: wénfáng sìbăo).
The collector reports that this piece and the following collec-
tion of calligraphy and painting related tools (cats. 95-100 &
102) were owned by his great grandfather, Min Young Whe
(1852-1935). Stationery for scholars reached a peak in popu-
larity during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

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