Large Jar, White Porcelain

  • Korea
  • Korea, Yi dynasty
  • 17c
  • White porcelain
  • H-57 D-43
Catalogue Entry

Korea's Koryo dynasty had Buddhism as its state religion, while the succeeding Yi dynasty established Confucianism as its state religion. Confucianism is a philosophy which reveres purity, innocence, and integrity, and this love of purity was reflected in the change from a predominantly celadon ceramic production to a focus on white porcelains. The white porcelain jars created during the Yi dynasty were either tall, as here, or a round jar shaped dubbed a “lantern jar." This jar is a large example of the tall form. The mouth construction, with its lower section constricting to the shoulder attachment, gives the jar a strong shape, and the expansive swell of the torso and its sense of volume then flows in a lovely line to the narrower base. The soft glaze texture indicates that the jar is mid‐period, though relatively early within that designation. The long years of use have given the jar a patina that heightens its sense of quiet depth.