White Porcelain: Embodiment of Joseon History and Culture

THEME ESSAY

by LEE JUNG-IN Curator of the Fine Arts Division, National Museum of Korea

The Joseon Dynasty 1392–1897 was established with Neo-Confucianism as the state ideology, prompting adjustments in the existing political and social systems. Even new ceramic traditions began within the changing environment. Joseon potters’ methods were rooted in the inlaid celadon and white porcelain craftsmanship employed during the Goryeo Dynasty 918– 1392. While they continued to produce celadons, they started a new category called buncheong ware and took white porcelain in a new direction to reflect Neo-Confucian norms and rituals. Thus, white porcelain came to represent Joseon sensibilities and developed into a tradition that lasted for five hundred years.

In the early Joseon period, ceramics was needed for various uses by the royal family and central government offices. To satisfy this demand, a tribute tax system was established through which payment could be remitted in the form of ceramic produced in local regions. Buncheong ware produced at kilns around the country as well as white porcelain pieces made at Gwangju in Gyeonggi-do and both Goryeong and Sangju in Gyeongsangdo were delivered to the capital, Hanyang(now Seoul) for use at the royal palaces and government offices. The white porcelain from early Joseon still followed the Goryeo tradition; the clay body had a soft quality and milky white coloration, while the decorations were applied with inlay techniques Fig.2.

Fig.2 Bowl with Lotus Scroll

White porcelain with inlaid design / Joseon Dynasty, 15th century / Bequest of Lee Hong-kun, 1981 / National Treasure No. 175

The Joseon government presented high-quality white porcelain pieces as diplomatic gifts to high-ranking Ming Chinese diplomats in the 1420s, and the excellence of Joseon white porcelain craftsmanship thus became known outside the country. During the reign of King Sejong r. 1418–1450 , white porcelain became the type of ceramic vessels to be used by the king and in ritual ceremonies. The quality of white porcelain production rose further as a result.

Supplies of white porcelain grew limited as demand by the royal family increased by the mid-fifteenth century. To address the shortage, government-run kilns were established in around Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do around 1467. Good quality clay and firewood were readily available in the Gwangju area, which was also close to the capital. Moreover, some of the best white porcelain pieces in the country were already being made in Gwangju.

The official kilns were also known as bureau branches, called bunwon, as they were managed by the Saongwon (Bureau for Overseeing Ceramic Production), which was responsible for supplying food and dining ware to the royal palaces. A centralized kiln system was put in place to run white porcelain production countrywide, ensuring a stable supply and making it a pivotal component of Joseon ceramics overall. Meanwhile, buncheong ware sported local characteristics, as it was mainly used in private sector or local government offices, and its production died out over time.

Blue-and-white porcelain made in official kilns was produced in the late fifteenth century. This was the supreme class of ceramics made at the time and its use was restricted to royal family members, making it highly prized. Blueand-white porcelain was imported from the Ming Dynasty, China in early Joseon, but localized production began in the mid-fifteenth century. Unfortunately, the cobalt-blue pigment had to be imported, and it was both costly and difficult to acquire. Therefore, blue-and-white porcelain was only made in small batches in Joseon and it was used exclusively within the royal family or at key state events. Professional artists attached to the royal palaces were responsible for painting the underglaze designs for these pieces Fig.1.

Fig.1 Jar with Plum, Bird and Bamboo

White porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt-blue / Joseon Dynasty, late 15th–16th century / National Treasure No. 170

The earliest Joseon blue-and-white porcelain ware closely resembled Ming Chinese pieces, but over time, domestic production evolved and took on a uniquely Joseon tone Fig.3.

Fig.3 Dish with a Poem

White porcelain written in underglaze cobalt-blue / Joseon Dynasty, late 15th–16th century

竹溪月冷陶令醉 花市風香李白眠 到頭世事情如夢 人間無飮似樽前

Tao Yuanming becomes enraptured by the chill moonlight shining on the valley of bamboo grove, And Li Bai falls asleep with the scent of flowers blowing on the wind. The ways of the world are but a dream. To live is like being intoxicated even without drinking.

When cobalt-blue was hard to import, the underglaze designs were painted with iron-based pigment Fig.5, while the same elegant and refined skills of the court artists are evident in the painted designs. In the sixteenth century, the white porcelain vessels produced at the official kilns were classified for everyday use or ritual use. Their formativeness reached perfection, and they feature the signature restraint and tidiness for which Joseon white porcelain came to be known Fig.4.

Fig.4 Bottle

White porcelain / Joseon Dynasty, 15th–16th century / Treasure No. 1054

Fig.5 Jar with Plum and Bamboo

White porcelain painted in underglaze iron-brown / Joseon Dynasty, 16th–early 17th century / National Treasure No. 166

Joseon suffered great hardship at the hands of Japanese forces during the Imjin War 1592–1598 , followed by Manchu invasion in 1636–1637. As a result, Joseon was disrupted socially and economically for most of the seventeenth century. Ceramic vessels for ritual ceremonies in the royal palaces were repaired and reused, and grayish white porcelain was produced at the official kilns. White porcelain vessels were painted underglaze with red or brown pigments with an iron base, which was easy to find in Joseon, instead of using the expensive cobalt-blue pigment from China. The decorative mode sometimes carries a painterly style, but often the designs are either simple or incline toward the abstract Fig.6.

Fig.6 Jar with Dragon and Cloud

White porcelain painted in underglaze iron-brown / Joseon Dynasty, 17th century

Economic activity picked up in Joseon during the eighteenth century, while interpersonal exchanges and trade with the Qing Dynasty, China were brisk, and the latest books, technical items, and cultural influences coming in from China were adding a new stimulus to Joseon society. In the latter half of the eighteenth century, consumption of high-quality ceramic ware, to include while porcelain, increased among members of the royal family and elite class and expanded to include wealthy commoners. As a result, elegant and refined white porcelain ware was being produced in diverse forms, with blue-and-white porcelain that catered to literati tastes being particularly popular. Meanwhile the production of blueand-white porcelain for ritual purposes continued Fig.7.

Fig.7 Jar with Dragon and Cloud

White porcelain underglaze cobalt-blue / Joseon Dynasty, late 18th century

The literati lifestyle was associated with the enjoyment of calligraphy and painting while sipping tea as well as the collection of implements used in the scholar’s studio, antiques, and books. Blue-and-white porcelain profoundly influenced this way of life. Joseon blueand-white porcelain ware in the eighteenth century epitomized the aesthetic sensibilities and measured dignity of the royal family and literati class. These pieces were characterized by broad empty spaces and compact depictions Fig.9. Their decorative themes included landscape scenes, the four noble plants (plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo), or potted plants, and poetry was brushed on as well.

Fig.9 Octagonal Bottle with Orchid

White porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt-blue / Joseon Dynasty, 18th century / Bequest of Lee Hong-kun, 1981

The late eighteenth century Joseon potters diversified the look of their creations by filling the entire surface with decoration, or by painting with cobalt-blue pigment while applying openwork or embossed carving techniques. The craftsmen working at the official kilns were capable of making pieces for the royal family and central government offices as well as products for the open market. Thus white porcelain ware became increasingly popularized.

Joseon society underwent radical change in the nineteenth century. The growing commodity money economy shook up the traditional caste system, while Western learning, science, and technology were coming in from outside. Cities and commerce advanced, and a class of the newly wealthy emerged. These people liked the extravagant ceramics produced in China and Japan, and such imported pieces came to occupy a significant place in the lives of royal family members and commoners alike. In response to such pressures, Joseon artisans conceived special shapes and methods to produce various ceramic vessels and luxurious implements for the scholar’s studio that catered to Joseon aesthetic tastes Fig.8.

Fig.8 A display of the Buncheong Ware and White Porcelain Gallery on the third floor of the NMK

The class of blue-and-white porcelain consumers continued to broaden, and demand grew for pieces that expressed popular wishes for good fortune, longevity, and wealth. The characters “ 壽 ” (longevity) and “ ” (good fortune) as well as images of peonies, pomegranates, bats, the ten longevity symbols, and carp were already well established as “lucky decorative motifs” in Joseon, while locallymade white porcelain also began to sport various auspicious symbols featured in imported white porcelain from China and Japan, to include Lingzhi mushrooms, a stylized floral medallion pattern known as bosanghwa, chestnuts, and a pine-tree mesh pattern.

Joseon royal family members also began to use blue-and-white porcelain ware with lavish designs. Blue-and-white porcelain ware for royal family use was adorned with clouds and dragons, phoenixes, Chinese characters for “longevity” or “good fortune,” floral medallion scroll, Lingzhi mushroom scroll, and other such formalized motifs Fig.10. Pieces for royal family members were often completely covered with decoration, indicating the influence of imported ceramics.

Fig.10 Lidded Bowl with Floral Medallion and Chinese Characters “ 壽 ” (longevity), “ ” (good fortune)

White porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt-blue / Joseon Dynasty, 19th century

The finances of the Joseon royal family worsened in the late nineteenth century, while foreign-made ceramics flooded into the country. As a result, operation of the official kilns became increasingly difficult to sustain. The management rights to these kilns were privatized in 1883, ending a run that had lasted for more than four centuries.

Thus white porcelain and Joseon shared the same history. These ceramic pieces were closely entwined with contemporary society and culture. The view of the world and aesthetic senses that the people pursued reflected the ups and downs of the times, and white porcelain carries to this day traces of Joseon’s history and culture, which lasted for over five hundred years.