Asian Art Forums - Detail List

Asian Art Forums

Group: Message Board

Re: Re: KOREAN CERAMICS

Posted By: rat
Posted Date: Oct 12, 2023 (11:44 AM)

Message
Here's what I found relating to the moon jar they offered:

Moon jars (dalhangari) are named for their spherical form and white color which evoke a full moon. The unique hue of each jar depends on the natural properties of the clay used in its production, and the effect of the thin glaze on its surface which varies from transparent to slightly milky in tone. From their inception, these vessels have been admired for their minimalist aesthetic, in which the plentiful proportions coexist harmoniously with the restrained surface treatment, qualities that equate to contemporaneous neo-Confucian values extolling the moral fullness that accompanies a life dedicated to pursuing purity, modesty, and essential truths.

Excavations of the pottery shards from the official kiln sites reveal that moon jars were first made in the early 1600s, and their popularity grew throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, when private kilns began imitating the newly iconic form. Moon jars were produced by forming two roughly hemispherical bowls on a wheel, joining them together at the rims to form the upper and lower halves of the jar, dipping the resulting jar in a transparent or white-tinged translucent glaze, and firing it at a high temperature. The craftsmen took care to make the two halves compatible, but to avoid making them identical. Subtle irregularities between the upper and lower body, the contours of the sides, and the tonality and texture of the surface, were retained in the finished product to reveal the process and materials unique to each jar. In other words, the potter had to restrain himself from overly refining the jar, lest his extra effort strip out the qualities of the clay and human touch that give the vessel its vitality.

Compare two closely related examples in museum collections: one 17th century moon jar is housed in the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago (accession no. 2001.413 ) and an 18th century example is in Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles (accession no. M.2000.15.114 ). Two closely related examples in auction records: one was sold at Christie's New York, 26th March 1991, lot 285, and then again in these rooms, 22nd September 2022, lot 503; and the other one sold at Christie's New York, 21st March, 2023. Another slightly large example formerly in the Harry G.G. Packard Collection of Asian Art, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City (accession no. 1979.413.1 ). Also compare two larger examples: one formerly in the Avery Brundage Collection, now in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (accession no. B60P110+ ) and the other in National Museum of Korea, Seoul (accession no. Treasure 1437 ).

Post a Response

Responses: