Page 76 - Symbols_of_Identity_Korean_Ceramics_from the Chang Collection

he white porcelain body of this rice scoop is covered with
Ta blue-tinted clear glaze. A ginseng plant decoration was
molded onto the handle. The two stems and attached flow-
ers of the plant grow around either side of the hole on top of
the handle. The actual paddle-like scoop portion is slightly
concave on the front side.

Rice scoops were used to serve cooked rice from a com-
munal container into individual bowls. A cord would have
been strung through the hole in the handle, so it could be
hung when not in use. The collector recalls his mother using
this scoop when entertaining guests. When serving the rice,
she would keep a bowl of cold water nearby, into which to
53. dip the scoop. The cold water would keep the cooked rice
Rice scoop from sticking to the surface of the porcelain scoop, which
19th–20th century, Joseon–Modern is a constant bother when using scoops made from bamboo
Porcelain or wood.
L: 19.8 cm, W: 7 cm (spoon mouth)
Asian ginseng (Panax schinseng) (Kr: insam, Ch: rénshēn) is
an important plant in East Asian medicinal culture, where
it is used as a panacea and aphrodisiac. The first mention of
ginseng in Korea was a gift to the Silla king in 795. The name
1
of the plant can be translated as “man root.” This is because
the thick, forked roots of the plant often resemble a human
with a head, torso, arms, and legs.

1 Keith Pratt and Richard Rutt, Korea: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary (Richmond: Curzon,
1996), 144.

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