The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 22, 2025

Jar with Bird and Flower Decoration

1700s

Korea, Joseon dynasty

(1392–1910)
stoneware with underglaze blue designs
Outer diameter: 33 cm (13 in.); Overall: 43.4 cm (17 1/16 in.)
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1985.19
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Cobalt blue, an expensive imported mineral from Persia (modern-day Iran), was officially banned for use in Korea during the 1700s.

Description

Joseon blue-and-white porcelains were called “靑畫," meaning “painted in blue.” The blue here indicates cobalt pigment. In the 1700s, the royal court banned the importation of cobalt blue for its luxurious nature; thus, relatively few Joseon blue-and-white porcelain vessels were produced at that time. In that context, this modest-looking jar was considered to be a rare luxury.
  • ?–1985
    (Kochukyo Co., Inc., Tokyo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1985–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Bang, Byungsun. "The Technology of Porcelain Manufacturing in the late Joseon Dynasty [朝鮮後期 白磁의 製作技術 硏究]." Misul sahak yeongu (1997): 67-104 www.dbpia.co.kr
    Jeon, Seung-chang. "Painted Images of Late Joseon-Period Porcelains and Their Connections with Folk Painting [조선후기 백자장식의 민화요소 고찰]." Misulsa yeongu (2002): 255-278. www.dbpia.co.kr
    Treasures from Korea: Arts and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty, 1392-1910. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2014.
    Choi, Kyung-hwa. “Observations on the Relation between Designs on White Porcelain and Folk Paintings of the Late Joseon Period [조선 후기 청화백자 문양과 민화와의 상관성 고찰].” Hanguk munhwa yeongu (2018): 151-18. www.kci.go.kr
  • {{cite web|title=Jar with Bird and Flower Decoration|url=false|author=|year=1700s|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.19