Goryeo Celadon

Melon-Shaped Ewer with Bamboo Decoration, 12th century Korea

The Goryeo dynasty in Korea was considered Korea's age of enlightenment. Lasting a total of five centuries, this dynasty had several advancements in things such as papermaking, architecture, printing, and ceramic making. While all of these were great achievements, the one that is most noticed by Western countries is the ceramics that were produced at this time period. These ceramics are known as celadon and were only made in China and Korea during the 9th century. These ceramic pieces were distinctively colored, thanks to their natural iron level in the clay along with the firing glaze that had a mix of manganese oxide, and quartz particles. To create a celadon ceramic pot or cup, you need an extremely hot kiln to create a reduction-based atmosphere to make the distinct texture of the celadon ceramics. If oxygen gets inside the kiln, it creates different textures of the clay and will also affect colors which is something that celadon potters wouldn't want since the green-ish blue tones of the pottery are what celadon is known for. 

As discussed in our weekly intro video, there was a lot of communication between China, Korea, and Japan, so this type of ceramic making spread through the three countries, each having their own distinctive looks and aesthetics to them. Korean celadon specifically is known for its naturistic design. These designs would have decorations beneath the glaze, incisions filled with black and white liquified clay (used as paint). While ceramics don't really strike the average person as significant, what makes celadon so important to Korean history and culture is because it signifies a cultural and technological shift in Korea. The technology for the kiln and the glaze production for celadon was something that previous Korean dynasties were getting towards, but without political connections to China, Korea would have taken a lot longer to develop the technology on their own to create such artwork. Alongside this technological shift, we can also view the ceramic pieces to determine what was appreciated during this time and why. For example, the Goryeo dynasty was the last Buddhist dynasty of Korea, which can explain the naturistic art decoration on their ceramics as well as the reason why print and papermaking were so important, to produce Buddhist texts for the public.

Sources:

“Korea, 1000–1400 A.D.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=07&region=eak (October 2001)

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Celadon.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed October 21, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/art/celadon.

“Melon-Shaped Ewer With Bamboo Decoration.” metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed October 21, 2020. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/42268.