Small Bottle with Dish-shaped Mouth
Korea, unknown kiln, Small Bottle with Dish-shaped Mouth, Goryeo period (918–1392), late 11th/12th century, light gray stoneware with blue-green celadon glaze, The John Yeon Collection; Gift of Richard Louis Brown, public domain, 2017.58.3
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Small Bottle with Dish-shaped Mouth
- Related Titles
original language: 靑磁
original language: 청자병
- Artist
- Date
Goryeo period (918–1392), late 11th/12th century
- Period
Korea: Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392 CE)
- Medium
light gray stoneware with blue-green celadon glaze
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
4 1/16 in x 2 3/4 in diam.
- Collection Area
Asian Art
- Category
Ceramics
- Object Type
bottle
- Culture
Korean
- Credit Line
The John Yeon Collection; Gift of Richard Louis Brown
- Accession Number
2017.58.3
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
The blue-green color of the three vessels displayed here demonstrate the height of perfection in celadon glazes in the Goryeo period. This small bottle shows the blue-tinged glaze known as bisaek (secret color). In the twelfth century, a Chinese envoy was so impressed by bisaek ware that he praised it as “first under heaven”— best in the world.
Korean potters initially looked to celadons imported from the Yue kilns of southeast China for models of technique, shape, and decoration. With time and experience, they achieved a beautiful blue-tinged glaze, known as bisaek (secret color). In the twelfth century, a Chinese envoy was so impressed by bisaek ware that he praised it as "first under heaven"—best in the world. The glaze on this bottle represents the peak of bisaek perfection.
- Exhibitions
2008 Eternal Celadon: Ceramics and Jade from East Asia Portland Art Museum
2017 Quest for Beauty: The Architecture, Landscapes, and Collections of John Yeon Portland Art Museum
2022 Shades of Light: Korean Art from the Collection Portland Art Museum
