White Porcelain Incense Burner with a Lid in the Shape of Baksan Mountain

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.238

Category

Craft

Era

고려시대(12세기)

Designated year

1963

Location

성북구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 성북구 성북로 102-11 (성북동, 간송미술관)

Coordinates

37.589116, 127.018215

Excavated from the ancient tomb of the Goryeo Dynasty near Gaeseong, this incense burner is 8.5cm in height and 8.1cm in diameter. It resembles a large ball consisting of three parts: head (lid), body (incense burner) and three legs (rabbit tail shaped). On top of the lid that looks like layers of mountains, there is a big polygonal hole together with other seven small holes below in circumference, allowing incense smoke to emit. Thickly coated with bluish-white glaze, it’s hard to tell which kiln site produced this porcelain. A rough estimate of the date of the porcelain is the 12th century during the Goryeo Dynasty. It’s designed after a fabled mountain called Baksan, supposedly located in Shandong, China. This type of porcelain is often found among those made during the Sung Dynasty. Judging from the these features, this porcelain seems to have been made by adopting both the pottery techniques of the Goryeo Dynasty for making white porcelains and those of the early South-Sung Dynasty for making bluish white porcelains.

Location