An incised and inlaid Buncheong 'fish' pear-shaped vase, Joseon dynasty, 15th / 16th century

Christie's New York, 27th April 1994, lot 40.

Byung-Chang Rhee, Kankoku Bijutsu Shusen-Richo Touji [Masterpieces of Korean Art: Yi Ceramics], vol. 3, Tokyo, 1978, pl. 32.

The shortage of metal in the beginning of the Joseon dynasty pushed ceramic consumption to new heights. A royal decree in the Taejong sillok (Annals of Taejong [r. 1400–1418]) states, ‘Instead of metalware, every person in the nation must use ceramics or lacquerware.’ Such government initiatives encouraged a flourishing buncheong industry that catered to both the elite and commoners.

In the early Joseon period, the royal court, scholarly elites (yangban), and the government used buncheong ware decorated with inlaid and stamped decoration, evidenced by the sizeable number of extant wares inlaid with names of governmental bureaus. Inlaid ceramics, whereby slip is filled into the carved or stamped decoration, is unique to Korea, and had reached a high degree of sophistication in preceding Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) celadon wares. Inlaid buncheong can be traced to this earlier class of ceramics, as the earliest buncheong was often produced in the same kilns as late Goryeo celadon wares. Stamp decoration evolved from this inlay method, which allowed for a more efficient method of producing inlaid ceramics.

With the increasing popularity of porcelain at court and the relaxation of regional tribute requirements around the mid-15th century, buncheong potters turned their attention to the tastes of local consumers, developing a dazzling new array of decorative techniques and motifs, as exhibited on the present vessel. These freely executed designs were created through a combination of stamped, inlaid, and incised decoration, representing the exuberant aesthetic of 15th/16th century buncheong.

The present vase is notable for its combination of decorative techniques. The fish and lotus were drawn by carving through the slip, while the fish scales and registers of dots and chrysanthemums above were stamp-decorated and inlaid. The overall pictorial design evokes those found on contemporaneous iron-painted vases, such as one in the collection of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (accession no. B65P63).

A vase of similar form inlaid with twin fish is illustrated in Masterpieces from Hosan Collection I: Korean Ceramics, The Hidden Treasure Under the Heaven, Seoul, 2001, pl. 14. A related sgraffiato vase carved with fish is in the collection of the National Museum of Korea, Seoul (accession no. Dongwon 266). Another inlaid vase with similar dot and chrysanthemum borders, but with a main register of floral scroll, is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (accession no. 92.3008). Compare another, inlaid with dots allover and a chrysanthemum-bordered footring, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics: The World’s Great Collections: National Museum of Korea, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 64.