Crackle-glazed Bowl

빙열무늬 청자 접시 [氷裂文靑磁皿]

1100s

Korea, Goryeo dynasty

(918–1392)

Medium

pottery

Measurements

Diameter of base: 5.5 cm (2 3/16 in.); Overall: 4.2 cm (1 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of John L. Severance 1921.626

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

The crackle pattern that appears all over this bowl was caused by a thermal expansion mismatch between the body and the glaze.

Description

During the Goryeo period (918–1392), about 260 kilns operated in mainly Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces, meeting a high consumer demand. Celadon wares used for everyday such as this bowl were among the most common burial objects in tombs of the elites. Furnishing tombs with an elaborate assemblage of objects was believed to honor and comfort the newly dead. Generally, Goryeo tombs were left untouched until the late 1800s. During the colonial period (1910–45), however, Japanese archaeologists competitively excavated the tombs located in Kaeseong, the former capital of the Goryeo period, and these wares soon became available for Japanese and Western collectors.