Celadon Tube-shaped Bottle with Willow Design in Underglaze Iron

Basic information

Designation

National Treasure No.113

Category

Craft

Era

고려시대

Designated year

1962

Location

용산구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 용산구 서빙고로 137 (용산동6가, 국립중앙박물관)

Coordinates

37.524041, 126.980350

This celadon bottle of Goryeo (918-1392) features a 31.6 centimeter-tall tubular body decorated with a pair of willows each painted on the opposite side of the bottle in iron red pigment. The body is marked by a straight wall with beveled shoulder, with an everted mouth at the top. The vessel has no notable decoration except the two willows rendered in a delightfully simple manner, exhibiting highly sophisticated aesthetic taste. The bottle is also characterized by blue tints of the glazing around the willows on both sides, creating a painterly effect of trees standing at the side of a pond or a river. Surviving today are a limited number of Goryeo celadon vessels featuring a tubular body as well as designs in underglaze iron red, and this is one of those rare pieces. According to records, the bottle was purchased from a Japanese collector by the Japanese Government-General in Korea in 1931. The appealing proportion, nicely beveled shoulder, and pleasantly simple and unassuming rendering of the decorative motifs make the bottle a great example of the great heritage achieved by Goryeo celadon potters.

Location