Page 58 - Korean Buncheong Ceramics, Samsung Museum Collection (great book)

opposite: Catalogue 18 Ewer with
dragon-fish head and lotus decoration.
Korean, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910); mid-15th
century. Buncheong with inlaid design,
1
1
H. 11 ⁄8 in. (28 cm), Diam. of mouth 2 ⁄2 in.
1
(6.2 cm), Diam. of foot 3 ⁄4 in. (8.2 cm).
Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul
left: Catalogue 19 Water dropper with spout
and handle. Korean, Joseon dynasty (1392–
1910); first half of the 15th century. Buncheong
1
with inlaid design, H. 3 ⁄8 in. ( 7.7 cm), Diam.
3 ⁄8 in. (9.7 cm), Diam. of foot 2 in. (5 cm).
7
Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul

Among the objects whose shapes are most characteristic of buncheong are squat, ovoid jars
with relatively wide openings (see cat. 15) and tall jars with out-turned rims, short necks, gently
sloping shoulders, and tapering bases (see cats. 21, 31); some of the latter have small lugs attached
to the neck (see cat. 14). A parallel can be found in early Joseon porcelain jars, though these tend
not to have necks. Despite the similarity in form, porcelain and buncheong jars of this type differ
significantly in their aesthetic. The latter’s emphasis on surface design — and the wide range of
decoration — becomes that much more visible when compared to similarly shaped white porcelain.
Certain examples of buncheong jars, such as a large late fifteenth- or early sixteenth-century
vessel (cat. 22), are more rigorously cylindrical. In this case, the jar’s stocky form and the coarsely
executed white slip application and decoration imbue it with a rustic appearance usually associated
with hand-potted or coil-built vessels.

Catalogue 20 Stem cup with decoration of
rows of dots. Korean, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910);
15th century. Buncheong with stamped design,
H. 2 3 ⁄4 in. ( 7 cm), Diam. of rim 3 ⁄2 in. (8.7 cm),
1
Diam. of base 1 3 ⁄8 in. (3.4 cm). Leeum, Samsung
Museum of Art, Seoul

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