Korean Punch'ong Inlaid Celadon Maebyong, 15th Century




This is a very large and beautiful Korean inlaid celadon vase with elaborate Punch'ong style decoration. The tall and slender Maebyong is decorated as a central scene with four circular panels of twin fish enclosed in a double ring surrounded by another ring of small circles. The reserve ground of the central band at the middle of the body is decorated with four cranes flying downward among tiny cloud motif. The shoulder is broadly decorated with a band of protruding leaves and a band of vining scroll. The splayed tall foot is encircled by a band of vertical banana leaves and a stylized band of sparsely decorated rising sun motif. The profusely decorated patterns were accomplished by inlaid of black and white slip materials into the gray stoneware before it was glazed with a clear celadon glaze. The uniqueness and rarity of this particular vase is the use of minute inlaid lines, circles, fine and tiny cloud motif, and dots which were extremely difficult and time-consuming to carve out the void space for filling in the inlaid materials. The end product is this beautiful vase with delicate and sumptuous decoration only seen among Koryo inlaid celadon. Nevertheless, the Maebyong exemplifies the rusticity and originality of Choson potters with its large border motif and sensitive drawing of animals. The entire surface short of the shallow foot ring is covered with a finely-crackled transparent bluish glaze. The shallow recessed base and the unglazed foot rim is mostly covered with kiln grits and sands. The small cup-shaped mouth has suffered from two clean breaks now re-attached. Other than the mouth rim damage and a few shallow foot rim chips as photographed, this magnificent Punch'ong Maebyong is in excellent condition with pristine glaze. We are offering this important Korean Maebyong as part of our weekly showcase of fine Korean art. Please enjoy viewing the abundant photos we have listed to share with fellow eBayers the beauty of early Korean ceramics.
Size: height: 36.5cm; body diameter: 19cm; foot diameter: 12cm

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