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77. his jar was made in three sections and luted together below
Jar Tthe neck and about one third of the way down the body.
Second half of 19th century, Joseon The high, slightly flaring neck is painted with clouds. The begin-
TL results: fired between 150 & 300 years ago ning of the shoulder is collared with a ring of yeo ui (Ch: rúyì)
Porcelain with underglaze cobalt decoration heads and bulges outwards before tapering to the waist. A four-
H: 53.2 cm, W: 30.5 cm clawed dragon chasing a flaming pearl amid clouds encircles the
jar. Outlined in dark blue, the cobalt painting is filled in with a
paler wash. The footrim is beveled and has been wiped free of
the blue-tinted glaze before firing. The base is glazed.
Dragons in Korea come from Chinese mythology and are
among the most auspicious of creatures. They traverse air, land,
and water and are bringers of rain—extremely important for a
traditionally agricultural society. A matching lid was probably
once associated with this jar, such as the example in cat. 78.
The collector’s parents used this vessel as a flower vase. A paint-
ing commemorating the gathering of elderly statesmen, dating
to 1719-20, in the collection of the Ho-Am Art Museum, Yon-
gin depicts large blue and white jars, some with sprigs of flowers,
placed on stands within the setting of a ritual. Large jars such
1
this vessel and cat. 78 may have been used in such settings, with
the lid removed when used as flower vases.
1 Hongnam Kim, ed., Korean Arts of the Eighteenth Century: Splendor and Simplicity (New York:
Weatherhill: Asia Society Galleries, 1993), 27.
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