White Porcelain Jar with Grape Design in Underglaze Iron

Basic information

Designation

National Treasure No.107

Category

Craft

Era

조선시대(18세기)

Designated year

1962

Location

서대문구, 서울특별시— 서울 서대문구 이화여대길 52, 박물관 (신촌동)

Coordinates

37.561700, 126.943700Museum-based location

This white porcelain jar decorated with a grape design brushed in underglaze iron is 53.3 centimeters high, 19.4 centimeters in mouth diameter, and 18.6 centimeters in foot diameter. In the Joseon Period (1392-1910), the royal court had a tradition of sending court painters to the ceramic kilns operated under its support to decorate the ceramic vessels produced here with their paintings. Most of the decorations were painted in blue pigment, but there were other pigments, too, iron oxide which made attractive black pigment and copper oxide making red in particular. The grape design decorating the jar adds additional dignity to the pottery and, combined with its size and shape, makes it one of the finest examples of the white porcelain jars produced during the mid-Joseon period. Artistic merits of the jar include the mouth featuring a comfortable size and height and the voluminous, imposing shoulder. The aesthetic beauty of the jar is perfected with the grape design painted in iron oxide on the upper body thanks to the fruit with vines depicted in an immaculate, realistic manner and the masterful use of painting techniques, including the shading of a single color. The jar is a tangible evidence to show the development of the Korean ceramic art in the 18th century where painting became a key factor for the production of great white porcelain works.

Location