The Joseon Period (1392-1920) Korea

The Joseon Period of pottery in Korea was dominated by porcelain white pottery, which comes from a white clay called kaolin. Low iron creates a white clay and it requires a higher temperature for melting. The popularity of porcelain was adopted from the Ming Dynasty in China and represented purity and restraint in Korea. Joseon white pottery was only used by royalty and some wealthy private buyers at first, but by the 16th century, it became a common item. The Joseon Period was not exempt from color completely, in fact porcelain that was painted with cobalt blue was highly prized. Iron brown and copper red were also very high demand colors.

To the right is an image of a “moon jar” characterized by it’s bulbous, oval shape, reminiscent of the moon.

Below on the left is called a placenta jar. It was used by royalty when a baby was born, the placenta and umbilical cord was put into the smaller jar and then that jar was placed into the larger jar. That jar was kept at a secret location, sometimes at the top of a mountain, in order to bless the child with a long and successful life. The jars are seemingly smooth in texture, complimented by notches on the tops of the jar that repeat in shape and create pattern. The jar on the left is smaller in proportion due to it’s function.

The vase on the bottom right is an example of the color copper red painted on to the porcelain. The tiger painted on is two dimensional and is the main focus of the piece.