Bowl

Korea, 12th–13th century

Stoneware, inlay under celadon glaze.

H: 6.7 cm / Diameter: 16 cm

O 51

Purchased from H. Saenger, Hamburg.

This stoneware bowl is adorned with four chrysanthemums inlaid in black

and white slip under a celadon glaze. The bowl dates from the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392), a period of acclaimed stoneware and porcelain production. The most wellknown is the greyish-green celadon ceramics. The first earthenware with olive or brownish-green glaze was produced in China during the Han dynasty (206 BCE –220 CE). Products from the Goryeo dynasty that survive to his day are undecorated or are adorned with engraving, carving, embossing or inlay. Starting in the 10th century,

celadon ware produced in neighbouring China during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) influenced Korean ceramics. Korean celadon came into its own primarily in the 12th century. A characteristic Korean ware is inlaid (sanggam) celadon – a technique in which decorative motifs are carved into the unfired clay body and then filled with white or black slip, after which celadon glaze is applied and the ware is fired. Its excellent craftsmanship and jade-like colour made it very popular and widely exported to western Asia and later to Europe.

In addition to the Korean bowls, several examples of Chinese celadon ware are represented in the collections – objects from the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) and Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and a qilin figurine of a mythical creature dating from the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), all acquired from the H. Saenger company in the early 20th century. (JMl)