History of Korean Art
The rarity that characterizes the ceramics surviving from the periods of the unified Silla kingdom in the 668-936 A.D serves as an influence to the transitions during the old Silla kingdom until the koryo period. This is because these ceramics have the most revolutionary changes in the world of art. The development of most of the Korean stonewares occurred during the Koryo periods, and the Chinese tradition was the most influencing factor of the Koryo works of ceramic. The influence was so vast that it was still recognisable even after the koryo dynasty with Most of the ceramics produced during this koryo period being luxury equipments, as opposed to the norm in the old Silla kingdom, during which the ceramics were for funerary activities.
The melon shaped ewer
The melon shaped ewer is a creation of the koryo dynasty during the second half of the 12th century. It stands at a height of 22.2 centimeters with a rim of a diameter of 3.7cm, and a foot-ring of approximately 9.0cm (Yong-i, 58). The ewer is melon shaped, with a curved sprout and ten lobes. The lid is flower shaped and has a heave for attaching it to the lug at the handle. There is the incision of brands of petal panels around the top and the base of the ewer with a fully open bloom appearing on each lobe with a spray of lotus. According to Yong-i, (59) these wine vessels were produced from production bases in Sadang-ri kilns site, South Cholla province; Kangjin-gun; Puan-gun; Yuch’on-ri kilns site and North Cholla province. The wine vessels are part of the Gompertz Collection under the category of stoneware celadon where the melon shaped ewer has a cover with the lotus design, and this distinctive characteristic identifies the ewer. The ceramicas are also of stoneware with parts indented, celadon glazed and incised. It has a well formed out sprout with a body that is twelve-lobbed.
The melon shaped ewer has a double loop handle with a flower shaped cover as the lid. On it is a shallow foot-ring with incision around the rims and the base with bands of double lotus petals. The melon shaped ewer has twelve decorated lobes that have precisely engraved lotus spray, and the lid having scroll motifs incised on each of the twelve lobes. The celadon glaze on the melon shaped ewer has a pale green tone, which has the finest of a crackle covering the whole surface. The four large clay spur marks arise from wiping off the shallow foot-ring of the glaze before firing portrays (Yong-i, 60). On the base, of the ewer lies five quartzite spurs. These spurs result from complete celadon glaze, and stoneware glaze. The techniques that led to the completion of the ewer are throwing, incision, indentation, and glazing to coat. Melon shaped ewers served as wine vessels during the twelfth century, and are identifiable with their respective basins. Such places include Yuchon Puan, North Cholla province and at Sadang-ri kangii, which lies at the south of the Cholla province. These ewers are products of the koryo tombs following their excavation, and they continue to inspire the Chinese present prototypes.
Ewer in the Form of a Melon with Chrysanthemum Sprays
The Koreans of the goryeo dynasty and the twelfth century created the ceramics of this kind. This ewer has a lobed body with a long sprout and a handle resulting in a melon shaped vessel. On its body, it has adorned alternating chrysanthemum spray designs (Museum of Fine Arts Boston 1). On the base, of the body are decorations from a ten-lout lotus petal design. The lower rim of the mouth has an altered arabesque encircled around it, and when compared to the melon shaped with lotus, it has a different handle. The initial loop on the handle is lacking, and there is the replacement of the lost lid with a different one. This ceramic went through a variety of techniques to its completion, some of which are similar to those used in the melon shaped ewer with lotus design. The chrysanthemum spray designed ceramic has been wheeled thrown and molded (Museum of Fine Arts Boston 1). There is the molding of the stoneware with brown decorations of paintings and a green glaze, and the vessel stands at a height of 18.1cm. The rim has a diameter of 19.69 cm and a foot-ring of approximately 15.24 cm, and this work of art owe its origin from www.lacma.org The vessel has undecorated body segments covered with thick glaze, producing a pattern typically similar to the elegant jade green color, and the densely decorated regions of the ewer bear a resemblance to those of the hongwu official ware (Museum of Fine Arts Boston 1). The vessel has a typical characteristic in that it has considerable amounts of space similar to those that are observable in the yongle official wares. The wealthy people used the ewer with the Chrysanthemum Sprays as wine vessels.
Additionally, the ceramics are similar in that they were useful during the koryo period for similar functions. The Koreans used both of the vessels for drinking and storage of wine. They are also identical through the glazes and the flower decorations on them with the mode of techniques used to create the ceramics being almost somehow similar. There was the implementation of carefully controlled and sophisticated techniques in the production of these koryo era ceramics. However, the major difference between the two forms of ceramics is striking. They vary in the flowers as well as decorations indented on them. The two ewers have different lids that are significant in their differentiation. Despite taking the melon shape, the two ewers vary in size as well as in the dimensions and the structure of the sprout. The two vessels had their ju-ware style inspired by the song dynasty.
The two vessels served the same purpose, which was to hold or store wine. Their accompaniment was a bowl shaped basin in which the Koreans filled water to ensure that the contents of the ewer remained warm. The vessels were only evident in the aristocratic families where there were wealthy patrons and Buddhist monks especially during the Goryeo period. The creations of incised decorations are normally to assimilate the natural shape and form of a melon. Meanwhile, the Chrysanthemum Sprays used to exemplify the Korean practice of drawing and painting and the inspiration they have when working with sprays. The vessels were considerably large to ensure they carried enough wine to match the habits of the wine connoisseurs (Byong-ch’ang, 99). The melon shape of the vessels signified elegance, a feature adopted from the ju-ware style, and the use of the design to develop this melon shaped ewers epitomized the Koreans’ timeless elegance and grace, blending it with modern practicality to exemplify a gentle and precious form of beauty that is rare in the objects of today.
Work Cited
Byong-ch’ang, Yi., and Kankoku Bigots Shusen. Masterpieces of Korean Ceramics: Yi
Ceramics. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 2003), p. 91, pl. 99 (text by Ito Ikutaro).
Museum of Fine Arts Boston. “Melon-shaped ewer with inlaid peony and chrysanthemum.”
012. 18 November 2012, Retrieved from <http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/melon-shaped-ewer-with-inlaid-peony-and-chrysanthemum-20424>.
Yong-i, Yun. Korean Art from the Gompertz and Other Collections in the Fitzwilliam Museum:
A Complete Catalogue. London: Cambridge University press, 2005. Retrieved from
<http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=DCuAD6cofjYC&pg=PR10&dq=Korean+Art+from+the+Gompertz+and+Other+Collections+in+the+Fitzwilliam+Museum:+A+Complete+Catalogue&hl=en&sa=X&ei=OqurUJnDBKaa1AXTroHwBQ&redir_esc=y >
