White Porcelain Bottle-shaped Ewer

Dating to the early Joseon period, this white porcelain ewer stands 29cm high, or 32.9cm high including the lid. With a thin spout and handle, this ewer has a bottle-shaped body, which is very rare for an early Joseon vessel. The mouth stands up straight and is slightly turned out, and the body expands gradually from the shoulder down to form a full, bottom-heavy shape. Echoing the form of the Chinese yuhuchun (玉壺春) vase, which has a pear-shaped body and flaring lip, this high-footed ewerhas a stable, balanced appearance. The foot rim was wiped clean of glaze and bears traces of firing on sand. The spout starts from the lower body on one side and is matched by the beveled handle on the other side, on top of which is a small ring. Another small ring can be found on the lid, which has a pointed “lotus-bud” or “jewel-shaped” knob. The lid was shaped on a potter’s wheel as evidenced by the clear wheel marks remaining on the inside. The bottom of the lid has three small clay spur marks left from firing. The whole vessel is evenly covered in a light grey glaze with faint blue tinge, but unlike the body the spout and handle have a yellowish tone, indicating they were made from a different kind of day. The foot is high but the rim is rolled and rounded. This very unusual type of foot is sometimes found on high quality wares from the first half of the Joseon period. It is based on the foot forms used on metal vessels, so this ewer is evidence of the connection between ceramics and metal craft at the time. Judging from the refined clay body, the glaze and the firing techniques used, it is presumed that this ewer was made at the official kilns in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do Province, in the first half of the Joseon Period.