Bottle, Buncheong Ware with Fish Design and Iron-brown Underglaze

This bottle represents a type of buncheong ware with a distinct decorative style, wherein iron-brown underglaze was used to create a highlighted central motif (e.g., fish, dragon, flower). Usually, the main motif is rather abstract, and the rest of the surface of the ware is left undecorated. This form and style of buncheong ware was popular from the late 15th to the early 16th century, and was produced mainly in the kilns around Mt. Gyeryong in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do Province.
To make this particular bottle, white clay was first applied to the surface, and then the fish design was painted on with iron-brown underglaze. The fins on the fish are relatively oversized, in comparison with its body, making them look like wings that convey a dynamic sense of movement and animation. Also, the scales of the fish are depicted very simply, with a few quick lines from gills to the body, reflecting the tendency towards abstraction that marked this style of buncheong ware.