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| ▲ Celadon-white porcelain dish with embossed lotus design, made during the Goryeo Dynasty. Photo courtesy of Horim Museum. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, March 5 (Yonhap) -- While Goryeo celadon and Joseon white porcelain are often seen as the defining traditions of Korean ceramics, a new exhibition spotlights other, relatively overlooked colors in Korean ceramic history.
The Seongbo Cultural Foundation said will present a special exhibition, “Subtle Colors – Goryeo White Porcelain and Joseon Celadon,” starting Thursday at the Sinsa branch of the Horim Museum in Seoul’s Gangnam district.
The exhibition brings together some 110 ceramic artifacts from the museum’s collection, including the state-designated treasure “Celadon Lidded Jar,” and explores the beauty beyond the representative wares of the Goryeo and Joseon periods.
“We sought to move away from research and exhibition trends centered on Goryeo celadon and Joseon white porcelain, and to comprehensively examine the production background, aesthetic characteristics and symbolic meanings of ceramics,” a museum official said.
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| ▲ White porcelain, made during the Goryeo Dynasty. Photo courtesy of Horim Museum. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
The exhibition begins by highlighting various white porcelain pieces produced during the Goryeo period. According to the museum, Goryeo white porcelain was often made as a secondary product at celadon kilns, though dedicated white porcelain kilns operated in areas such as Yongin and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province between the late 10th and 11th centuries.
Displayed items include a white porcelain lotus-patterned dish, a vine-patterned white porcelain ewer and stand, and a melon-shaped bottle.
Although limited by technical constraints and overshadowed by celadon at the time, Goryeo white porcelain is considered an important research subject due to its rarity and transitional nature, the museum said.
The exhibition also draws attention to the bluish tones found in Joseon-era ceramics. Celadon bowls and turtle-shaped bottles with floral and vine motifs, believed to date to the 15th and 16th centuries, are on view.
Records showing that celadon was used at the Crown Prince’s residence are also noteworthy. “According to Confucian yin-yang and five elements theory, the crown prince symbolizes dawn, the east and the color blue,” the museum said, adding that Joseon celadon can be seen as embodying the dynasty’s political symbolism and ideology.
In addition, the museum is holding another exhibition in its third gallery, titled “Flowers Added to Silk,” marking the seasonal period of Gyeongchip. It features embroidered folding screens with floral motifs and traditional wedding robes adorned with phoenixes, mandarin ducks and flowers, symbolizing wishes for a bright and harmonious new life.
Cultural lectures will also be offered, including a session on “Goryeo White Porcelain and Joseon Celadon” on April 28 and another on embroidered spring flowers on May 26. The exhibition runs through July 31.
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