Celadon Ewer with Slip-Painted Lotus and Vine Design

Goryeo · 2F · Donated Collection · Donated Collection 2

This is a Goryeo celadon ewer notable for its phoenix-shaped lid and its handle and spout fashioned like bamboo stalks. On the lid, a phoenix with raised wings perches atop a two-tiered lotus seat, and the lotus petals and stripes are emphasized with the toehwa technique of applying white and black slip. On the body, large lotus-scroll designs are rendered in white slip with their outlines and details incised, while the spout and handle convey a taut energy, as if made from real bamboo. A similar metal Goryeo ewer in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, allows us to consider the relationship between celadon and metalware; since that metal ewer has a matching basin, this ewer too is thought to have originally had one.

See it in person at the National Museum of Korea — 2F · Donated Collection · Donated Collection 2

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