Page 23 - Korean Buncheong Ceramics, Samsung Museum Collection (great book)

trumpet-shaped base closely resemble those of the inlaid celadon maebyeongs of the late Goryeo
dynasty. Indeed, the shared use of inlay as a decorative technique in this case would seem to
raise the question of the distinction between celadon and buncheong ware. The composition of the
decoration is also similar to that on fourteenth-century inlaid celadon and features three sections:
small lotus leaves around the shoulders, a dragon chasing a cintamani jewel in the center of the
vase, and large lotus leaves rendered simply around the base. The transition from the Goryeo
dynasty to the Joseon did not bring about the end of the celadon tradition, but, rather, extended
it to buncheong ware. 7
In the Joseon maebyeong cited above (cat. 2), the white slip is not applied over the surface
of the vessel, but instead fills in the carved designs. If one were to judge from its shape and deco-
ration, this vessel could easily be classified as celadon made in the early Joseon. The color of the
glaze is different from that of Goryeo celadon, but the composition of the glaze is the same;
the green-brown hue is due to partial oxidation during firing. The clay employed for celadon ware —
usually selected from soil accumulated over a long period — was the same as that used for
buncheong. In the end, the boundaries between the two are very fluid; rooted in the celadon
tradition, buncheong ware developed and departed from that tradition.

the relatIonShIp BetWeen government
and the emergence of Buncheong

Metalware and CeraMiCs
Soon after the establishment of the Joseon dynasty, the state had to respond to Ming China’s
demand for a considerable tribute in gold and silver. Facing severe financial difficulty, the Joseon
asked the Ming government to exempt those items from tribute. At the same time, the state was
endeavoring to reduce the use of gold and silver objects by the royal court and the upper classes,
and to collect such objects from them. Since the amount of gold and silver possessed by the court
and by individuals was originally obtained through trade during the late Goryeo period, this limited
supply could not satisfy the demand during the early Joseon. The problem was exacerbated by
the lack of active development of the Korean gold and silver mines. In the first years of the Joseon,
certain people were allowed to employ gold or silver, according to their social status, but the
shortage of these precious metals, which forced the Joseon government to limit consumption to
official purposes and to prohibit all private use (including as tableware or decorative items), meant
that vessels of other materials became necessary to replace those of gold and silver used by all
levels of society, from the court down to the commoners in the provinces.

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