Page 94 - Symbols_of_Identity_Korean_Ceramics_from the Chang Collection

72. ith bold and cursory brush strokes, this bottle is
Bottle Wpainted in cobalt blue with the “three friends of win-
18th–19th century, Joseon ter” motif—the pine and plum blossoms on one side, the
TL results: fired between 300 & 500 years ago bamboo on the opposite. It has a straight neck and drooping
Porcelain with underglaze cobalt decoration body. The footrim has been mostly wiped free of the bluish-
H: 25.5 cm, W: 14.5 cm tinted glaze and the base is mostly glazed, both with adhe-
Courtesy of Daewon Kwon and Chong J. Kwon sions of kiln grit. Two small clay pads, or firing supports,
have been left on the footrim after firing, possibly to help the
bottle sit more evenly.
The “three friends of winter” are the pine, bamboo, and
plum. They are symbols of strength and endurance in ad-
verse conditions—the signs of a true gentleman. The pine
and bamboo stay green during the winter, and plum blos-
soms are the first to bloom in the New Year.

An embroidered hunting scene, dating to the late eighteenth to
early nineteenth century, in the Huh Dong Hwa Collection in
Seoul, Korea depicts bottles similar to cats. 71-74 placed on the
ground, underneath tables. They were probably used to refill
1
smaller bottles on the table when needed (see entry for cat. 71).

1 Hongnam Kim, ed., Korean Arts of the Eighteenth Century: Splendor and Simplicity (New York:
Weatherhill: Asia Society Galleries, 1993), 76.
92