Ewer with Cover

first half 12th century

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About this Brooklyn Icon

The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.

During the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392), Korean ceramicists mastered the technology to create glaze in an ethereal seafoam-green color, known in the West as celadon. This wine-pouring vessel is a masterwork of Korean celadon, not simply for its color but for the quality of its carving—and for the unusual addition of tiny white dots that highlight elements of the design.

Celadon ceramics were admired in several East Asian cultures for their resemblance to jade. Achieving a perfect celadon involved precision in both chemistry and kiln control. The process was invented in China, but by 1100 Korean ceramicists were able to produce wares that were the envy of Chinese connoisseurs.

The body, lid, and finial of this vessel are all shaped like lotus flowers; its handle is in the form of a stem. On the lid, in white, is a small moth. Directly across from it on the handle, also in white, is the cocoon where the moth metamorphosed. The lotus is a popular emblem of transcendence and purity, while butterflies and moths can symbolize rebirth.

Object Label

With its delicate modeling and restrained decoration, this botanically inspired vessel is considered one of the finest Korean ceramics in existence. The lid and body have fired to slightly different tones of green—probably because they were in separate areas of the kiln—but we know that they belong together, because the tiny white moth on the lid appears directly opposite the cocoon, from which it has just emerged, on the handle. Whereas the body of the ewer is made of light gray clay, the moth and cocoon are in white porcelain, a material that was new to Korean potters at the time. Also new was the addition of tiny white spots of slip (liquid clay) to highlight various elements of the vessel: these are a precursor to the inlaid decoration that would become the signature ornamentation on later Goryeo celadons.

Caption

Ewer with Cover, first half 12th century. Stoneware with underglaze slip decoration and celadon glaze, 9 7/8 x 9 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (25.1 x 24.1 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Darwin R. James III, 56.138.1a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 56.138.1a-b_SL3_edited.jpg)

Frequent Art Questions

This is beautiful!
This is one of the stars of our Korean collection! This Ewer with cover is an example of the height of Goryeo celadon production. Notice how intricate and detailed the design is.
The lotus petals were made by carving into the clay and the lighter dots were created using light clay slip! Despite the fact that the cap looks like it is a different color, it actually does go with the rest of the object. Notice how the handle and top have similar sculpted lotus portions.
What is the history of this tea pot?
It's actually not teapot but was a vessel used for wine! Do you see the flower on its lid? It's a lotus flower, an important symbol for Buddhist enlightenment. Lotus flowers root in the muddy bottom of a pond but grow up out of the depths to reach the light and bloom in the air, a metaphor for the human condition and the human quest for enlightenment.
This kind of ceramic is called celadon. It has this specific greenish color. Celadon was first developed in China and spread to Korea around the 9th–10th century C.E.
The calm blue-green-gray color was considered, in a Buddhist culture, to be a parallel to a pure and tranquil mind!
That's actually really interesting. I wasn't expecting that.
I wasn't either when I first started learning about this object!
I would like to know more about this artwork please!
This is one of the masterworks in our collection! One reason this piece is so special is that it combines many different ceramic-making techniques in a single object.
The decoration on the body was created by carving designs into the clay, which was then covered with that beautiful celadon green glaze. My favorite detail is the tiny moth and cocoon on the handle and lid!
I see it! The color of the piece is so beautiful.
What's an ewer? Is it for oil?
It depends on where it is from (what culture/time period). Ewer generally refers to the shape but in Korean pottery for example it is a form associated with the serving of wine. The ewers in Infinite Blue from the late 19th century are probably decorative. The Ewer with the gold spots on its lid in the Korean gallery was probably used as a stationary or cosmetic vessel.
What year was this made?
This was made during the first half of the 1100s, though we do not know the exact year. The time period was the height of Korean celadon production. Chinese visitors of the era dubbed Korean celadons "the best under Heaven!"
Dime más.
Este vaso tiene un vidriado llamado "celadon," el cual es conocido por su color azul verdoso. La decoración está hecha con un "slip" (arcilla mezclado con agua) blanco aplicado debajo del vidriado.
Has this piece been repaired?
Our conservators have done some work on this piece including cleaning and filling chips. The cracks you may see are in the glaze, not the wall of the vessel itself.
Thanks.
What is celadon glaze made of?
Celadon can come in a variety of colors, from blue-green to jade-like, and are made using a green-colored glaze over a gray clay body. The color comes from the way iron oxide reacts in a reduction-fired atmosphere!
In later cases, the glaze would be put over a white bodied vessel. Both the clay and the glaze have a small amount of iron in them. In the case of the glaze it is 2-3%. The iron contributes to the color.
Because there are so many types and periods of celadon production, some of the materials and techniques vary!
Do you know the story behind the crack in this teapot?
This pot (which was actually for wine, surprisingly) dates to the 12th century, so it's almost 800 years old! The cracks you see are actually in the glaze and do not affect the body of the vessel itself. They were there when the pot was given to the Museum in the 1950s, so we don’t know how or when the cracks occurred. But despite the crack (and some other minimal damage) this is considered to be one of the greatest Korean ceramics in the world!
I am a ceramics student and was wondering if celadon was an important, even unique glaze in ancient Asian Art and why so. And to what extent is the use of celadon within contemporary ceramics bound to celadon's history?
Celadon glaze was especially valued for the cloud-like, pale blue-green color that could be achieved. Korean potters were internationally recognized as having mastered the technique.
I don't know much about contemporary use of celadon for practical vessels, but I do know that some contemporary artists use it. In that case it is usually a reference to the history and historical applications of the material.
Yes, thanks so much!
What is celadon?
Celadon is a blue-green glaze, often used on stoneware, a kind of ceramic. Celadons are named due to the greenish-blue color of their glaze. Their color can vary in tone from grayish to greenish depending on the composition of the clay. The color of celadon is achieved by placing a green-colored glaze over a gray clay body and the reaction of iron oxide when the vessel is fired in a reduction atmosphere.
Thank you.
Tell me more.
This ewer was used to serve wine and represents one of the masterworks of Goryeo dynasty celadon production.
The lid is decorated with a lotus flower which is an important symbol for Buddhist enlightenment. There is even a moth perched on the lid whose broken cocoon can be seen on the handle.
So many techniques were used to decorate this vessel: the cover and moth decoration were likely hand molded and attached using a process called applique; the decoration on the body was incised/carved; and those tiny white dots were hand painted with slip (thinned clay).