Ceramic

By 1000 BC, the increasingly complex social organization of the population of the Korean peninsula is suggested by the many ceramic objects produced both for everyday use and for ritual and mortuary purposes.

Comb-Pattern Vessel Neolithic period, From Amsa-dong, Kangdong-gu, Seoul Earthenware with incised decoration, h. 38.4 cm Kyonghui University, Seoul

Vessels were hand built from coils of clay and fired in open or semi-open kilns at low temperatures of about 700° C. These unglazed, porous wares are found throughout Korea in large quantities and in a variety of shapes and decorative styles, reflecting the diversity of material culture of the Neolithic period and the contacts between populations living in different parts of the peninsula. Comb-patterned wares are the most representative type of ceramics from Korea's prehistoric period.

This exceptionally large jar, which may have been used for storage of grains, has a typically pointed base and displays striking patterns of diagonal lines that were incised into the damp clay, perhaps with a comblike implement, before firing. Excavated at Amsa-dong, near the Han River in modern-day Seoul, it attests to the long history of human habitation at the site. These vessels are found alongside other kinds of earthenware, such as bowls with linear relief decoration, and chipped and polished stone tools of various types.

This seventh-century tile attests to the refined and sophisticated culture of the kingdom of Paekche, situated in the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula. None of the resplendent palaces of the Paekche aristocracy mentioned in historical records survives, but the lively decoration of this unglazed tile hints at the opulence of those structures and provides important evidence of early Korean pictorial art. The grimacing creature seems to serve an apotropaic function, analogous to the guardian figures found in Asian art and architecture.

Tile Three Kingdoms period, Paekche kingdom (18 BC~AD 660), early 7th century From Kyuam-myon, Puyo, South Ch'ungch'ong Province Earthenware with relief decoration of monster and landscape,

Advances in ceramic technology in the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC~AD 668) include the production of stoneware, requiring kiln temperatures of more than 1000 C. With the exception of Chinese stoneware, these are the earliest known high-fired wares in the world. Lead glazes, which may have been inspired by Chinese Tang dynasty wares, first appear in Korea during Unified Silla.

Maebyong (Prunus Vase), Sanggam Celadpn Wares Koryo dynasty (918~1392), late 13th~14th century Celadon with inlaid design of cranes and clouds, h. 29.2 cm

Sanggam, or inlaid, celadon wares are unique to Korea. Although inlay was widely employed in Korean metalwork and lacquerware, it was only when glazes of sufficient clarity were developed in the first half of the twelfth century, during the Koryo period, that inlays were used in the decoration of celadons. In this technique, the design is carved into the moist clay body, then filled in with a white or black substance before the vessel is glazed and fired. The design is clearly visible through the glaze, an effect impossible to achieve with the earlier

, more opaque glazes introduced from China. What began as a minor decorative technique used in combination with incised and carved designs became the most frequent type of decoration at the height of the celadon tradition, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

By the Koryo dynasty (918~1392), consistent advances in ceramic technology, including the use of the climbing kiln, led to the production of Korea's widely acclaimed celadon wares. Most likely derived from Chinese Yue wares, these celadons reached their high point of perfection in the mid-twelfth century. The exceptional clarity of Koryo celadon glazes made possible the decoration of wares with inlaid designs, a technique known as sanggam, which is a unique achievement of Koryo potters. In the twelfth century, these craftsmen were among the first to employ successfully the difficult technique of underglaze copper-red decoration on high-fired wares.

The technique of painting in iron oxide under a celadon glaze was fully exploited during the Koryo period to produce bold decorations on robustly shaped vessels. Celadons painted in underglaze iron are fired in oxidation, resulting in yellowish or brownish glazes as opposed to the green tones of celadons fired in a reduced oxygen atmosphere. The designs are painted directly onto the ceramic body and thus tend to be more spontaneous in execution than the laboriously applied inlays.

Vase Koryo dynasty (918~1392), 12th century Celadon with underglaze iron-brown decoration of willow, h. 31.6 cm The National Museum of Korea, Seoul National Treasure no. 113

Flask-shaped Bottle Choson dynasty (1392–1910), 15th century Punch'ong ware with incised design of fish, h. 25.6 cm Ho-Am Art Museum, Yongin

With the establishment of the Choson dynasty in 1392, the ceramics industry, which had begun to deteriorate during the final years of the preceding Koryo period, was revived and porcelains as well as punchong wares were manufactured. Technical similarities and improvisatory designs point to the celadon tradition of the late Koryo as the source of early punchong. For example, hand-carved inlay had by that time been simplified to stamped designs, a type of decoration that was fully exploited in punchong.

The most innovative punchong wares are decorated with sgraffito designs of striking vibrancy or brushed with slip, creating startlingly abstract and dynamic patterns.

Ceramic production in the succeeding Choson dynasty (1392~1910) is characterized by innovative punchung stonewares and by white porcelain wares. The latter in particular reflect the austere tastes of the Neo-Confucian governing class. Developments in decorative techniques in porcelain wares include underglaze cobalt-blue painting, adopted from China, as well as underglaze copper-red and iron-brown decoration. There was concurrently an exploration of new ceramic forms.

Jar Choson dynasty (1392~1910), mid-15th century Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue decoration of plum and bamboo, h. 41 cm Ho-Am Art Museum, Yongin National Treasure no. 219	Jar Choson dynasty (1392-1910), 17th century Porcelain with underglaze iron-brown decoration of bamboo and plum, h. 40 cm. The National Museum of Korea, Seoul National Treasure no. 166

The excellence achieved by Korean potters painting in underglaze iron is evident in a highly formal vase from the seventeenth century. Similar in shape to contemporaneous wares of the Ming dynasty (1368~1644), it is ornamented with a depiction of the popular motif of plum and bamboo, framed by Chinese-style borders at the shoulder and foot. The fluency of the painting suggests that it was executed by a specialist, probably from the royal painting academy.

The wide, thick portions of the bamboo leaves onthis vase have been achieved with a layer of underglaze iron, which has burned through the clear glaze to form rust-colored areas that lend texture and volume to the painting.