Celadon Sanggamyuromaejukmun Flat Bottle

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1384

Category

Craft

Era

고려시대(14세기)

Designated year

2003

Location

용산구, 서울특별시— 서울 용산구 이태원로55길 60-16, 삼성미술관 리움 (한남동)

Coordinates

37.536528, 126.996187

This celadon flat bottle is in a typical style of Goryeo flat bottle and stands out for the variety of its inlaid design motifs. The two goblin faces attached to either side of the shoulder strike the viewer as particularly original. The broad body of the bottle is divided into three tiers: top, middle and bottom tiers. The top tier around the shoulder and the bottom tier are decorated with lotus petal motifs, positioned in such a way that top and bottom petals point toward each other. In the middle tier, inside a honeysuckle-shaped floral frame, a willow tree and several birds are displayed. The left and right sides of the middle tier are carved each with the image of three bamboo stems and a blossomed plum branch in the shape of the letter ‘Y.’ The goblin face sculptures added to either side of the shoulder show the teeth with a round ring held in the mouth. The facial features are very natural, suggesting that the sculpture is the work of an experienced artist. The surface, coated with a light gray glaze, is full of trapped air bubbles. The glaze over the areas where white slip-inlaid decorations are present shows large crackles, and this type of crackling is known as eunhwa (literally meaning “silvering”). The black slip-inlaid motifs give this bottle a stable and sturdy impression and a cool tone. The foot, in hard ceramic, has straight sides, and is carved out from the inside to create a shallow recess. The bottom of the foot ring shows sand kiln spur marks with black and white stains.

Location