Celadons

Celadon Dragon Fish Ewer (The National Museum of Korea 303, Ceramic Room)

Korea derives its name from an old dynasty called Goryeo, which existed from 918 AD to 1392 AD. After the fall of this dynasty, the nation based on the Korean Peninsula was known as Joseon and later Daehan. However, the name "Korea" had already been introduced to the world by Arabian merchants who visited Byukran-do, an international port near Gaeseong, the capital of Goryeo. These merchants imported Korean pottery and ginseng, which made the name "Korea" known to the wider world—a name that has endured to this day.

Korean pottery was highly competitive at the time. The National Museum of Korea houses an extensive collection of Goryeo pottery, showcasing the nation's exceptional craftsmanship. Goryeo was established in the 10th century, and during the 11th and 12th centuries, artisans perfected the technique of creating celadon, known as cheongja in Korean. This jade-colored pottery was characterized by its delicate designs and flawless finish, achieved even after being fired at a high temperature of 1,200℃.

One of the most notable pieces of Goryeo celadon is the "Celadon Dragon Fish Ewer," a masterpiece from the 12th century, when Korean celadon reached its peak. This unique jug is designed to pour liquid through the dragon's mouth, with the tail serving as the opening for filling. The ewer features intricate details, such as scales, wings, and a beard, crafted so meticulously that one forgets it is made from fragile clay. It is designated as National Treasure No. 61 of Korea and can be found in the celadon room on the third floor of the National Museum of Korea, where it continues to captivate visitors with its whimsical and elegant beauty.

The Jade-Green Beauty of Goryeo Celadon

Goryeo celadon has distinctive characteristics that set it apart from other types of pottery. Its clear, transparent glaze creates the jade-green color for which Goryeo celadon is famous. The glaze was made from materials containing quartz and feldspar, together with fluxes such as wood ash. Craftsmen ground these mineral materials into fine particles and mixed them with wood ash and water. The wood ash acted as a flux, allowing the glaze mixture to melt at a much lower temperature, around 1,200°C, rather than requiring temperatures approaching 1,700°C. This was important because the glaze had to melt at roughly the same temperature at which the pottery was fired.

Iron in the glaze was also crucial to its color. During reduction firing, some Fe³⁺ was reduced to Fe²⁺. An appropriate balance between Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ helped produce the distinctive jade-green color of Goryeo celadon. The clear glaze also created a remarkable sense of depth. In grooves carved into the surface, more glaze accumulated, forming a thicker layer and producing a darker jade-green color than in the surrounding areas. These variations in color gave the surface a profound, three-dimensional quality.

Goryeo celadon is also characterized by its elegant shapes and delicate forms. Firing such thin and carefully shaped vessels at high temperatures without deformation was itself a considerable technical challenge. Interestingly, however, the images decorating their surfaces were not always equally precise or delicate. They often depicted nature with simplified forms and rhythmic, sometimes even naive, lines.

The consumers of these precious objects, particularly the aristocrats of the 12th century, do not seem to have been bothered by such naive expressions. The elegant shape, jade-green color, and profound visual quality of Goryeo celadon may have mattered more than realistic representation. The designs did not need to reproduce nature precisely; they only needed to evoke it.

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