The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Iron-glazed Prunus Vase with Inlaid Floral Design

Iron-glazed Prunus Vase with Inlaid Floral Design

1100s-1200s
(918–1392)
iron-black ware
Overall: 29.7 cm (11 11/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1961.270
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The inlaid image that adorns the shoulder of this vase is ginseng leaves, famous medicinal herbs.

Description

As early as the seventh century, the practice of drinking tea and wine became an important part of elite culture in Korea. Once used to store alcoholic beverages, this type of vase features a wide body followed by a sharply rounded shoulder, a short neck, and a small opening. Most of the remaining examples no longer have a lid, but originally it may have had a lid that not only covered the opening, but also served as a cup. Against a brownish-sepia underglaze surface, three ginseng leaves with roots are inlaid with white slip, striking a modern, minimalistic style.
  • Lee, Sherman E. Tea Taste in Japanese Art. New York, NY: The Asia House Gallery, dist. by H. Abrams, 1963. Mentioned: cat. no. 36, p. 101; Reproduced: cat. no. 36, p. 59
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 364 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Jenifer Neils. The World of Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Museum in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1982. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 135-136, no. 138
    Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
    Yi, Jong-min. "A Study on the Celadons Maebyeong of Goryeo Dynasty [고려시대청자매병연구]." Kangjwa misulsa (2006): 157-190. www.dbpia.co.kr
    Goryeo: The Glory of Korea [대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.
    Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, and 국외소재문화재재단. The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Edited by An Min-hŭi. First edition, English ed. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Series, 16. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2021. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 80
  • Korean Ceramics. The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (April 18-June 2, 1968).
    Tea Taste in Japanese Art. The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (February 20-April 21, 1963).
    Year in Review - 1962. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24-November 25, 1962).
  • {{cite web|title=Iron-glazed Prunus Vase with Inlaid Floral Design|url=false|author=|year=1100s-1200s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1961.270