Buncheong Ware Maebyeong with Inlaid Fish Design

Joseon · 보물 · 3F · Sculpture and Crafts · Buncheong Ware and White Porcelain

This maebyeong vase, made in early Joseon, clearly shows the transition from celadon to buncheong ware. Its overall mood is close to late-Goryeo inlaid celadon, but the growing use of stamped inhwa decoration and the shift to a relatively bright grayish-blue glaze stand out. The shoulder is ringed with lotus-petal and scroll bands; on each of the four sides, two fish are inlaid against a wave background within a double circle bordered by beads, and four cranes are inlaid around the upper part. The complex patterning, glaze, and form together vividly capture this transitional moment from celadon to buncheong ware.

See it in person at the National Museum of Korea — 3F · Sculpture and Crafts · Buncheong Ware and White Porcelain

Source: based on official e-museum records (National Museum of Korea).