Korean Ceramics From the Three Kingdoms Period to the Joseon Dynasty

Since prehistoric times, ceramics have been used for practical, artistic, religious, and architectural purposes on the Korean peninsula. Archaeological exploration since the twentieth century has deepened understanding of the types of clays used, the glazing and firing methods adopted, and the aesthetic considerations determining changes in forms and surface decoration. When Korea opened to the international community in the late nineteenth century, international collectors and museums began studies of green-glazed ceramics of the Koryŏ period, 918–1392, which closely resemble imperial monochromes of the Song dynasty in China. The Koryŏ capital Kaesŏng grew to become a city of 500,000 residents. Shipping links with the southern provinces, and international routes to China and Japan, both affected Koryŏ life, including the production and consumption of ceramics. Chinese potters passed on their skills and experience, which the Koreans transformed and enriched. The earliest green glazed ceramics made in Korea were produced around 900 ce. By about 1150, potters began making inlaid celadons, carving and incising floral and other patterns into the body of the clay, and then filling in the depressions with contrasting materials that fired to a sparkling white or a dark charcoal black. Buddhist communities used green-glazed ritual vessels such as water sprinklers, while aristocrats drank wine from delicate cups covered in jade-green glaze. During the Chosŏn dynasty, 1392–1910, kilns supplied vessels of a very different kind to the court in the new capital, Seoul. Court and aristocratic life now promoted white porcelain, sometimes painted under the glaze with blue, red, or brown pigment. White porcelain embodied the neo-Confucian values of austerity and simplicity. A unique Chosŏn period ceramic form is the “moonjar,” a large white spherical vessel around 40 cm in height, composed of two bowl-shaped pieces joined together at the belly. The major centers of ceramic production in pre-modern Korea were in the far southwest, in Koryŏ times; and in an area of modern Kyŏnggi province, east of Seoul, in Chosŏn times. In addition to elite ceramics used in the households of noble and royal families, Korean potters also produced so-called onggi’ wares, made of earthenware and used to store pickles and other condiments. Regrettably, most English-language publications on Korean ceramics use one of two ways of rendering Korean words in the Roman alphabet. The “McCune-Reischauer” system adopts superscript marks to indicate some vowel sounds and some aspirated consonants. The “Ministry of Education” system uses no superscript marks, and renders Koryŏ as Goryeo; Chosŏn as Joseon, for example.