The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 15, 2026

A ceramic vessel takes the form of a rounded bowl glazed in muted green. Resting on a narrow circular base, its wide rim undulates slightly, dipping lower on the left. A dense network of fine, intersecting cracks covers the surface, while small, dark brown spots cluster near the upper edge. The exterior curves smoothly inward, light catching the jagged edges of the crackle across the vessel's pale, glassy body.

Celadon Bowl

1200s

Korea, Goryeo dynasty

(918–1392)
Celadon
height: 8 cm (3 1/8 in.); Diameter of rim: 16 cm (6 5/16 in.); Diameter of base: 7.3 cm (2 7/8 in.)
Gift of Mr. Sang-goo Kong in Honor of his father Mr. Chang-ho Kong 2025.179
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Crackling occurs when the glaze contracts more rapidly than the clay body during the firing process. In the context of celadon bowls, this phenomenon is not regarded as a flaw but rather as a highly valued aesthetic feature—one that evokes a sense of age.

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.
  • Private Collection
    ?–2025
    My Art Auction, Seoul, South Korea, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2025–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Celadon Bowl|url=false|author=|year=1200s|access-date=15 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2025.179