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Korean Pottery
From early times, pottery has served both a practical function as a source of everyday utensils as well as an artistic medium of expression. The development of pottery techniques played an important role in the general development of Korean craftwork. During the prehistoric period, comb-pattern pottery, plain pottery, red-glaze and black-glaze earthenware as well as Kimhae-style pottery were produced. Looking at the gradual development of these pottery forms, one can sense the aspirations of Korea's prehistoric inhabitants as they struggled to improve their living conditions.
During the Three Kingdoms period, each kingdom developed a unique style based on Kimhae pottery. Typical examples include Koguryo pottery, which closely resemble the Kimhae style it was derived from, Paekche's gray tripod vessels and Shilla's stemmed cups (kobae) and vessel stands. Most of the extant pieces of ancient pottery and metalwork have been burial objects found in ancient tombs. Among these relics, one finds exquisitely crafted Shilla and Kaya pottery depicting ducks, houses, boats and figures on horses.
As craft traditions of the former Three Kingdoms developed during the Unified Shilla period, pottery forms and patterns began to change. The long-necked dropper and box with lid appeared at this time. In particular, developments in kiln structure allowed craftsmen to accumulate experience using natural-looking, green glazes. This period of experimentation served as an important stepping stone in the development of Koryo celadon.
During the Koryo period, hard earthenware continued to be produced; yet the most representative pottery of the era is celadon. Korean celadon can be divided into two types: West Coast pottery was produced using the oxidation techniques of Northern China and Kangjin/Puan pottery was produced using the reduced firing techniques of South China. Of these two types, the latter was more influential. Korean celadon uses a delicate green feldspathic glaze with around a three percent iron content. This lovely pottery soon became popular both in Korea as well as internationally as one of the most representative genres of Korean art. For example, Xu Jing (Kor. So Kung), a twelfth-century Song envoy to Korea, highly praised the superiority of Korean celadon in his detailed work Koryo togyong (Illustrated Account of Koryo).
Scholarly opinions vary, but the first production of Koryo celadon must have begun by the late-ninth or early-tenth century at the latest. It reached its apex during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Around the twelfth century, potters turned their attention from the exquisite shapes and fine jade color of pure celadon to white and black porcelain featuring detailed inlay designs of cloud and crane motifs or chrysanthemums. The superiority of Koryo celadon is widely recognized, but inlay pottery also deserves credit for its creativity and formal beauty. Notably, Korean potters experimented with red copper underglaze before their Chinese counterparts.
During the late-Koryo period, oxidation firing techniques became popular.
During this time, glazes also underwent change while the formal tension of bowls was softened. Collectively, these changes led to the development of Choson punch' ong ware.
During the Choson period, punch'iong ware and white porcelain were the chief pottery styles. Punch'aong is classified according to production technique as: kamhwa (punch'aong ware with inlaid floral decorations), inhwa (punch'wong decorated with stamped floral designs), pakchi (Graffito), chohwa (bird and flower motif), ch'rorhwa (iron pigment) and paekt'o. Popular from the early Choson period to the period directly preceding the Hideyoshi invasions, paekt'o punch'hong used white slip designs which seemed to get smaller as the style developed. Comparable with the simple surface effect in minimalist art, these pieces agree well with modern artistic sensibilities. This pottery thus served as a transitional form between inlaid celadon and white porcelain (paekcha) and in spite of its rather common look, it was highly prized even by the royal house.
White porcelain, on the other hand, was an article of everyday use by all strata of society throughout the Choson period. During this period, specially-designated kilns under the strict supervision of the Saongwon (Bureau for Overseeing Ceramic Production) were able to ensure that the quality of white porcelain was maintained at a fixed level. During this time, red (iron) or blue pigments were also used to draw depictions of the "four gentlemen" (plums, orchids, chrysanthemums and bamboo), dragons and auspicious symbols on top of milky-white porcelain. Sometimes, these pictures were painted by government artists. By the late-Choson period, the consumer class for pottery had expanded to include the lower stratums of society. As a result, pottery declined as it entered the modern era.
Information provided by the Korean Embassy