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The Eternal Portraits of the Goryeo and Joseon Periods

from National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.43

by National Museum of Korea

from National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.43, page 17

Article from: National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.43

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ART AND STORIES

The Eternal Portraits of the Goryeo and Joseon Periods: Celadon Maebyeong and White Porcelain Hangari

By Jang Namwon, Professor, Department of the Art History,Ewha Womans University

In Korean art history, celadon and white porcelain ceramics have long been considered representative examples of the Goryeo and Joseon periods, respectively. Maebyeong refers to a porcelain vase with a large, extended body and a small mouth. For hundreds of years starting in the Goryeo Dynasty and throughout the Joseon Dynasty, this type of vessel referred to as jun, was used to serve liquor or for flower arrangements. According to convention, Goryeo examples of this type of vessel are called maebyeong while Joseon examples are referred to as hangari.

Among extant Goryeo maebyeong, an example from the Kansong Art Museum collection displays many of the salient features of this type of ceramic Fig.1. It has been suggested that this Celadon Maebyeong with Inlaid Cloud and Crane Design was part of the tomb furnishings from the tomb of Choe U d.1249 , a son of Choe Chungheon, in the vicinity of Goryeosan Mountain on Ganghwado Island and probably dates to around the mid-13th century. The small, shallow mouth of the vase provides a sharp contrast to the round, bulbous body. This, along with the contrast between the slim curved body of the lower half of the vase and the sudden swelling of the body around the shoulders of the vase, contributes to a striking visual tension.

**Fig.1 Celadon Maebyeong with Inlaid Cloud and Crane Design**

The special Goryeo inlaying method uses both black clay and white porcelain to fill in patterns engraved on the surface of the vessel. The process is highly sensitive because it requires multiple types of clay, each responding to different shrinking and expanding temperatures, and therefore the vessels can often cave in or explode during firing or cooling. That being said, this maebyeong with its shallow engraved decoration shows the absolute minimum of distortion and reflects the highest technical skill.

The inlay decoration is composed of round frames containing cranes soaring upward along with stylized clouds as well as cranes outside the frames descending towards the ground together with the same type of cloud design. The various movements of the cranes spreading across the surface of the vessel were designed to intersect across a multitude of different directions. In this way, the surface that could have looked flat, instead gives the impression of an expansive scene along with a considerable sense of spatial depth and three-dimensional effect. Similar designs, in terms of composition and arrangement found in other craft items from the Goryeo period such as lacquerware items inlaid with mother-ofpearl, indicate that craftsmen adopted the same kind of approach in different media.

In East Asia, clouds and cranes carry an auspicious meaning. The Song Dynasty Emperor Huizong 1082–1135 was said to have painted the work Cranes above Kaifeng and the motif of clouds and cranes can also be found in wall paintings from the tombs of Chinese Jin Dynasty 1115–1234 . However, if we consider ceramics, Goryeo celadon vessels are the only type of pottery that emphasizes the cloud and crane design to such a high degree. Images of the cloud and crane motif in Chinese painting and decoration were apparently further developed as an individual motif in the Goryeo Dynasty and then spread widely across a great variety of genres. Among extant Goryeo celadon vessels, the Celadon Maebyeong with Inlaid Cloud and Crane Design in the collection of the National Museum of Korea Fig.2 is truly a masterpiece. Although it has less decoration than the celadon at the Kansong Art Museum, the cranes and clouds are arranged across the surface of the vase at even intervals and it remains in perfect condition with the ceramic lid left intact. Both examples feature a faint, transparent glaze color and the sharp details engraved into the smooth body of the vessel with sculptural precision are evidence of exquisite craftsmanship. Saturated in auspicious meaning, these vessels evoke the idea of thousands of cranes scattering throughout a jade colored sky only to come together again to encircle the Goryeo sky for all eternity.

**Fig.2 Celadon Maebyeong with Inlaid Cloud and Crane Design**

A White Porcelain Hangari with Grape Design in Underglaze Iron-brown from the Ewha Womans University Museum collection Fig.3 is a good example from the Joseon Dynasty. Rejecting an overall decorative pattern, the entire surface of the vessel is transformed into a canvas upon which the artist painted broad leaves in between bunches of hanging grapes in free brushstrokes. The design appears the same from both front and back; however, the grapevine moves down along a diagonal line from the upper right shoulder of the vessel, giving the impression of a continuous spiral. At the end of the vine hangs a bunch of supple ripe grapes, depicted with light and dark shading using iron pigment in the same manner as paintings of grapes executed using ink and paper.

**Fig.3 White Porcelain Hangari with Grape Design in Underglaze Iron-brown**

In order to maximize volume, the voluptuous upper body of the vessel formed by the curved line of the sloping shoulders that emanate from the straight rise of the mouth meets the lower body, extending outward from the narrow foot as if inflating, at the center of the jar. The radical change in the curvature of the 50 centimeter-tall vessel is not only impressive but also contributes to an uneasy impression. However, the energetic line of the branch that falls naturally from the shoulder to the middle of the vessel’s body along with the suitable balance provided by the empty space helps to put the mind at ease. In fact, the design is rendered in such a naturalistic manner that it seems as though the image even conveys the trembling sensation of a breeze passing through the open space in the composition. It is certain that a court painter or some literati artist painted this image in a single sitting at the site of the Joseon royal kilns in the Bunwon area of Gwangju in Gyeonggi-do. In fact, the composition and certain details that are characteristic of paintings of grapes by court painters from the 17th–18th centuries also appear in the image on this Joseon jar.

According to a record in the Journal of the Royal Secretariat, called Seungjeongwon ilgi, from the 14th year 1673 of King Hyeonjong’s reign, iron oxide, which is inherently crimson in color, turned black when fired and occasionally even turned dark yellow. This tells us that it would not have been easy to control the color of white porcelain vessels with iron underglaze. The design on this hangari also underwent a reaction that resulted in colors ranging from dark brown to a lighter olive hue and it is possible that the potter intentionally utilized the sensitive characteristics of the pigment to achieve this effect. The ripe grapes and large mature leaves were depicted with a considerable amount of pigment so as to appear darker in color, whereas the small grapes and young, tender leaves are only outlined in minimal pigment in order to appear lighter. Although this is simply a distinction between dark and light, the proper application of the dynamics of shading causes the grapes to appear in a more naturalistic way. However, what makes this a true example of Joseon white porcelain is the way in which the ceramic fully realizes the essential qualities of a handicraft item. At the most basic level, this type of white porcelain craftwork is simply a functional bowl of robust quality made from pristine clay with a transparent glaze. Assuming that the technical firing process is successful and the clay fuses in the proper way, the robust quality of the ceramic reflects the tremendous degree of precision in the manufacturing process as well as the meticulous selection of pristine clay and glaze materials.

The beauty of this ceramic is matched by its symbolic value as a record of the everyday hardships of life throughout history. During the Japanese colonial period it belonged to a Japanese collector and in the ensuing years it passed through multiple owners. In this process, it was coveted as a prized possession above and beyond its value as a sculptural object. Following this tumultuous journey, it arrived safely at the Ewha Womans University Museum in 1965. Soon thereafter it was designated National Treasure No. 107 and has for many years fascinated museum visitors and profoundly shaped the perception of Korean ceramics. For example, it is no coincidence that the widespread affection for grapes as a symbol of fertility, health, long life, abundance, and robust vitality reflects the energetic representation of grapes in this hangari.

While the exquisite Goryeo celadon maebyeong with inlaid decoration represents the pinnacle of skillful design in the sharp rendering of sculptural forms, the Joseon white porcelain hangari is more painterly and exudes a kind of sophisticated vitality. This kind of technical aptitude and approach to formal aesthetics reflects a period of socio-economic prosperity as well as a highly developed and mature culture. Although the celadon inlaid maebyeong and the white porcelain hangari with iron underglaze Figs.4 and 5 were produced in different contexts and for different consumers, they both reflect the highest quality craftsmanship and aesthetic taste of the periods in which they were developed. Putting aside the distinctions between these two historical periods, each ceramic object functions as an eternal portrait of Goryeo and Joseon, respectively.

**Fig.4 Celadon Maebyeong with Inlaid Peony Design in Underglaze Copper**

**Fig.5 White Porcelain Jar with Plum and Bamboo Design in Underglaze Iron-brown**

This article is from:

National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.43

by National Museum of Korea