Home Articles Abstract
Research Article

A Chronological Study of Inlaid White Porcelain of the Joseon Period

權素玄

Published: January 2003 · No. 240 · pp. 77-117
Full Text

Abstract

The white porcelain with inlay (象嵌白磁) of Joseon dynasty is a kind of white porcelain, which was made before the blue and white porcelain of Joseon dynasty (朝鮮靑畵白磁) as an influence of the style of Chinese ceramics. It was made at the latter part of 15th century and was regionalized, diminished and disappeared around 1470 that the branch official kiln (分院) as a division of Saongwon (司饔院: an official organization for royal food) was in Gwangju (廣州), Gyeonggi-do province (京畿道).*br* The 15th century is the time when the various kinds of ceramics became a single kind of white porcelain. In the late Goryeo dynasty buncheong ware (粉靑沙器) was made based on the traditional skills of celadon with inlay and Chinese ceramics were imported from China, Japan and Yu-gu (琉球). In these situation the white porcelain with inlay was made by mixing the Chinese ceramics with the traditional skills with inlay (象嵌技法).*br* The tradition of inlaying skills transmitted from Goryeo was made by scarfing the surface with the style and putting ocher day (?土) and pottery day (白土) in it whereas the Joseon white porcelain with inlay was made by scarfing the style first and then painting it with the iron black. This was the characteristic feature of the Joseon white porcelain with inlay.*br* There are five different kinds of styles which is divided by the type of the main design in white porcelain with inlay: scroll design (唐草文), modified scroll design (變形唐草文), separated branch design (折枝文), floral design with two lines (二重線草花文), dragon design (龍文), fish design (魚文) and many other designs. Scroll design type and modified scroll design type were made influenced by the ceramics of Chinese Yuan (元) dynasty. But we can also find out that these kind of expression is shown in the Joseonized skills with inlay that tried to imitate the skills of other countries.*br* Through these stages of acceptance, white porcelain with inlay has been developed and a certain kind of Korean style materials and ways of expressions came out. Separated branch design type began to show the mixture of tradition and imported factors and a more pictorial and realistic face. Floral design with two lines type is seen on white porcelain with inlay having fixed chronical data (絶對編年資料) and carved letter (銘文), the place where it was found is centered on Gyeonsang-do province (慶尙道) area and its quality is soft quality white porcelain (軟質白磁), different from the hard quality white porcelain (硬質白磁) made in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do province. We can say that the time is when the white porcelain kilns was already been changed into official kilns (官窯) mainly producing the blue and white porcelain of Joseon Dynasty in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do province.*br* The white porcelain with inlay of Joseon Dynasty exhibited and improved the Korean feature accepting the foreign factor and drafting it upon traditional technique in aspect of the shape, the material of design: the style of expressions had the position of a class as Joseon White Porcelain. Though white porcelain with inlay was on the decline and disappeared due to the mass production of blue and white porcelain, we can find its meaning in that it shows us the characteristics reflecting the tide of times, the conversion from celadon centered age to white porcelain centered age among the various ceramics appeared in the 15th century.
Keywords: 15세기(15世紀the 15th century)상감백자(象嵌白磁white porcelain with inlay)청화백자(靑畵白磁blue and white porcelain)분청사기(粉靑沙器Buncheong ware)연질백자(軟質白磁white porcelain with soft quality)관요(官窯official kiln)경기도 광주(京畿道 廣州GwangjuGyeonggi-do Province)경상도 산청(慶尙道 山淸SancheongGyeongsang-do Province)경상도 하동(慶尙道 河東HadongGyeongsang-do Province)