국립중앙박물관 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA

Ewer with floral and fruit design

This ewer was produced at the Jingdezhen kilns in China. The snow-white porcelain surface is decorated with cobalt blue underglaze. The ewer has a body in the shape of a swollen body, a wide mouth, slender neck, and ornate handle. The overall body is adorned from top to bottom with diverse designs, including grass, lotus flowers, scrollwork, and fruit. These designs were exquisitely painted using a brush soaked in cobalt blue pigment before being coated with transparent glaze. Once fired, the white tone of the porcelain and blue designs are highlighted. The majority of such blue-and-white porcelain was created at the Jingdezhen kilns during the Yuan Dynasty. It continued to be produced for export during the Ming and Qing periods and was highly esteemed by both Asians and Europeans. According to historical records, Yi Bang-won (1347–1422), later King Taejong of the Joseon Dynasty, drank alcohol from a cup with cobalt blue decoration when he held a Goryeo government post. This indicates that Chinese blue-and-white porcelain was being imported to Korea by at least at the end of the Goryeo period.

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