10 Ceramics


Dragon-carp-shaped ewer, Goryeo dynasty, 12th century, National Treasure, National Museum of Korea


Bamboo-shoot-shaped ewer and basic, with a basin which served to keep the liquid in the ewer warm, celadon, Goryeo dynasty, 12th century


Girin-shaped incense burner, this type of ewer was likely used in national events and various important rituals, celadon, Goryeo dynasty, 12th century, Amorepacific Museum of Art


GORYEO CELADONS


in clay can be dated to the Neolithic period on the Korean peninsula, when clay figurines of humans and animals began to be produced. Te diverse techniques used in making these ceramics during the earlier period, especially during the Tree Kingdoms (57 BC-AD 668) and Unified Silla (668-935) periods, laid the foundation for


the distinct and sculpted styles started to that


developed during the Goryeo period. Korean potters had mastered the technique of making celadon by the 1100s


produce


undecorated celadon glazes ranging from yellowish-brown and blue-green to the blue-grey, ‘jade blue’ hues, which reached the height of sophistication and production by the end of that century. Te Goryeo period is regarded by


Human figure-shaped ewer, celadon, Goryeo dynasty, 13th century, Nae-dong, Dalseong-gun, Daegu Metropolitan City, National Museum of Korea. This figure is holding seven peaches with both hands, if it is not the Queen Mother of the West, who resides on Mount Kunlun and dispenses sacred peaches (considered symbols of eternal youth), it is believed to be a figure at least related to her.


S


culpted Celadons of the Goryeo Dynasty at the Gyeongju National Museum explored these special


celadons in May-August 2025. Te Korean term, sanghyeong cheongja (celadon ‘or green ware’ modelled on an external form) is used to describe them. In the catalogue that accompanied the exhibition, Seo Yu-Ri and Yoon Seogyeong explain the beginnings of this type of celadon during the Goryeo period (918-1392): ‘Sculpted celadon collectively refers to a variety of celadon objects fashioned in the shape of animals, plants,


achievement in


and human figures. rendering


Its figurative


forms without compromising functionality is of note. As works of art, sculpted celadon vessels also faithfully serve their intended purposes, while exhibiting the mastery of clay modelling’. Te practice of shaping specific forms


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many as a golden age of refinement and taste, when the court and elite of society commissioned an abundance of fine works of art. Celadons are good examples of the exquisite objects made under imperial patronage which were purely for the use of the court and aristocracy. Buddhism had reached Korea


through China and trade along the Silk Road with the religion beginning to flourish on the peninsula during the Goryeo era when it became the state religion. While the government codified laws and introduced a civil service system, Buddhism was


shaping a fledgling


Buddhist state anxious to create objects that catered to its newfound religious credentials. Along with Buddhism, the Daoist religion also played a role in the life of Goryeo. Buddhist and Daoist liturgical objects were both crafted in celadon with the vessels decorated with religious motifs. Unusually, Buddhist icons, which were usually made of wood or metal, were also crafted in celadon. A section of the Gyeongju exhibition, ‘Into the Other World’, looked at sculpted celadons shaped with religious motifs or crafted for


religious purposes. Some


sculpted celadon wares express wishes with religious beliefs or endeavours to reach the spiritual realm beyond the secular realm. As the Daoist and Buddhist religions flourished in Goryeo society, sculpted celadon wares were


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Lion-shaped pillow, celadon, Goryeo dynasty, 12th century, Treasure, private collection. Unlike Chinese ceramic pillows of the same period that typically depict a single lion, the Goryeo version features two lions


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Turtle-dragon shaped water dropper, celadon, Goryeo dynasty, 12th century, and turtle-dragon shaped ewer, 12th century, Treasure, National Museum of Korea


WATCH


Goryeo Celadon and Material Culture by Prof Namwon Jang


commissioned to serve not only everyday purposes in religious places but were also made for specific liturgical purposes as prime objects of worship or used as ritual accoutrements. Te monks in Buddhist monasteries often came from noble families and would have been used to using celadon objects in their daily life, and some domestic objects would have been incorporated into monastic life. Sculpted celadon incense burners, water sprinklers,


jeongbyeong (kundika in


Sanskrit) would have been needed, as would spouted bowls, ewer and bowl sets, and tea bowls. Te Gyeongju exhibition paid particular attention to the works with Daoist motifs to emphasise the fact that Daoism flourished alongside Buddhism in the Goryeo period, however,


noting that such extant


examples are extremely rare during this period. Over the 11th and 12th centuries,


The Goryeo dynasty is regarded as a golden age of refinement


Goryeo artisans gradually mastered celadon technology, which had already developed earlier in China over many centuries. Tis development was able to occur because Goryeo was exposed to diverse cultural influences in the rapidly changing geopolitics of the time. Historical records and literature during this time show that Goryeo celadons had become highly prized in China, as a


thriving network had developed


between China and Goryeo based in Gaegyeon, Goryeo’s capital. Sculpted ceramics imported from China vied alongside domestically produced celadons for customers from the court and noble households, demonstrating the reverence with which these ceramics were held among the elite. Ding wares, Ru wares, and Jingdezhen porcelains were also imported from Song China (960-1279) for royalty and the court and, in turn, their fine craftsmanship would have influenced Korean makers. Tese imported ceramics and local celadons were reserved for the court and religious institutions as the cost of production put them out of the range of ordinary citizens. To cater to the Korean elite, the craftsmen of Goryeo were selective in adopting foreign influences and modified foreign styles to fashion them to fit their own


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