Bowl with Inlaid Chrysanthemum and Lychee Design

청자 상감 국화·여지문 사발 (靑磁象嵌菊花荔枝文大楪)

1300s

Korea, Goryeo dynasty

(918–1392)

Medium

pottery

Measurements

Diameter of mouth: 20.5 cm (8 1/16 in.); Overall: 8.6 cm (3 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of John L. Severance 1918.459

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Kangjin and Buan kilns in Jeolla province were the two major production centers for celadon wares during the Goryeo period (918-1392).

Description

As early as the seventh century, the practice of drinking tea and wine became an important part of elite leisure culture in Korea. A wide bowl like this example was especially suitable for drinking powdered tea shaved from a compressed tea cake, the most commonly enjoyed type during the Goryeo period. The outer wall is lavishly decorated with the inlaid image of flowering vines, the inner wall with the inlaid image of chrysanthemum and lychee. Such elaborate design tells us that tea wares then were aesthetically invested objects of luxury.