Artwork Page for Jar with Four Auspicious Characters in Relief

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Jar with Four Auspicious Characters in Relief

백자 양각 주름·문자무늬 호 [白磁陽刻帶文字文壺]

1800s

Korea, Joseon dynasty

(1392–1910)
Medium
glazed porcelain
Measurements
Outer diameter: 22.1 cm (8 11/16 in.); height: 19.4 cm (7 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 1981.3
Public Domain
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Location
236 Korean
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Did You Know?

This type of jar with auspicious characters was often used as a birthday or wedding gift.

Description

This white porcelain vase is decorated with four Chinese characters symbolizing auspicious (hopeful) wishes—longevity, good fortune, health, and peace—each within a floral medallion. Such jars were often presented as birthday or wedding gifts, conveying the giver’s blessings for a long and harmonious life.

This object was purchased in 1981 from Kochukyo (壺中居), an antique gallery founded in 1924 in Tokyo, Japan. Many important Korean works remain in Japanese private collections, after being taken there during the Japanese colonial period (1910–45). Consequently, Japanese antique galleries continue to handle Korean antiquities, serving as significant channels for their circulation today.
A pale green-glazed globular porcelain jar features a short collar and flat base. Vertical ridges texture the body, interrupted by circular, scalloped medallions containing Chinese characters in relief. Fine, web-like cracks texture the muted surface. The vessel widens significantly at its center before tapering down to the base.

Jar with Four Auspicious Characters in Relief

1800s

Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)

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