Detail View: The AMICA Library: Large jar

AMICA ID: 
MMA_.1979.413.1
AMICA Library Year: 
2000
Object Type: 
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Creator Nationality: 
Asian; Far East Asian; Korean
Creator Name-CRT: 
Korean
Title: 
Large jar
Title Type: 
Object name
View: 
Full View
Creation Date: 
Choson dynasty (1392-1910), 18th-19th century
Creation Start Date: 
1700
Creation End Date: 
1899
Materials and Techniques: 
White porcelain
Classification Term: 
Ceramics
Dimensions: 
H. 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm)
AMICA Contributor: 
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: 
New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 
1979.413.1
Credit Line: 
The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
Rights: 
Context: 

The manufacture of porcelain, which requires a special clay and extremely high firing temperatures (1,300-1,350°C), was first developed in China. In Korea, white-bodied porcelain wares became popular with the advent of the Choson dynasty (1392-1910) and continued to be produced throughout the period. The early phase of porcelain production, from the founding of the dynasty at the end of the fourteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century, is characterized by undecorated white wares, although blue-and-white decorated wares began to be produced in the fifteenth century. These white wares reflect the austere tastes associated with Neo-Confucianism, the Choson state's official ideology, displacing Buddhism which had been promoted by the court rulers of the preceding Koryo dynasty (918-1392). This jar is among the most striking of the large, utilitarian objects made of porcelain. It was produced by joining two bowl-shaped forms at their rims. The pale blue tone of the thickly applied glaze enhances the impression of whiteness and freshness. Jars of this type, which reflect a uniquely Korean aesthetic, would have been especially admired for their irregular shape, a result of slight sagging during firing.

Related Image Identifier Link: 
MMA_.as1979.413.1.R.tif