Celadon Kirin-shaped Incense Burner

1F · Medieval and Early Modern History · Goryeo 1

This is a celadon incense burner topped with a qilin-shaped ornament. Some hold it to be a 12th-century Goryeo work while others consider it a recent imitation, so its date cannot be stated with certainty. Because the reduction firing was incomplete, parts of the lid and the lower body have discolored (yobyeon), and the clay body feels somewhat coarse. A separately made qilin was joined to the lid, which bears incised key-fret patterns, while the body is incised with grass and cloud designs and fitted with three legs decorated with beast faces. If it is indeed a Goryeo piece, it may have been made in the Gangjin or Buan area.

See it in person at the National Museum of Korea — 1F · Medieval and Early Modern History · Goryeo 1

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