White Porcelain Ritual Vessel in the Shape of a Square Bowl

This white porcelain ritual vessel has the shape of a square shallow bowl with a wide rim.It is not a perfect square as the four sides have been pressed so as to make them slightly rounded.The mouth and the four sides of the body were carved with a large knife in much the same way that wooden wares are cut with an adze.The body is supported by four ㄱ-shaped feet at the four corners; and sand spur marks are visible on the underside of the feet where the glaze has been scraped off. This piece is an invaluable artifact as it represents a new style of white porcelain of the Joseon Dynasty in which certain decorative and manufacturing techniques used in woodwork (that are also frequently applied in modern ceramics techniques) were applied during its production.