What is Korean celadon?
Though the term "celadon" is somewhat misleading in that it
means green, it has become widely accepted as the Western term
for the Korean pottery, called Cheong-ja in Korean, with the
distinctive jade-green color. Below are the Korean names for the
various types of pottery and their Western equivalents:
Cheong-ja - This is the name of the jade green pottery and is called
either "celadon" as we have called it here, or "green celadon" to
distinguish it from other types of Korean pottery. The literal
meaning of the word Cheong-Ja is blue/green porcelain.
Bun-cheong - This is the name of the brown or light brown pottery
and, although a misnomer since celadon literally means green, it is
sometimes called "brown celadon". For lack of a proper western
term for this unique Korean pottery we have called it by either its
true name, Bun-cheong, or "brown porcelain" to help distinguish it
from the other colors of pottery.
Baek-ja - Although it is sometimes, incorrectly, called white
celadon, Baek-Ja literally means white porcelain and is the name
for the white pottery made by Korean artisans. White porcelain is
the name we have used here.
The History of Korean Celadon
Celadon (Cheong-Ja) - the Stuff of Kings
Though the history of Korean pottery stretches back to the
Neolithic age and the rough "Black Comb Pottery" produced by
early tribes, the pinnacle of Korean pottery was the development
and perfection of celadon (Cheong-Ja) during Korea's Koryo
Dynasty.
The Koryo Dynasty, which lasted from 918 to 1392 AD had a
strong Buddhist influence which shaped many of it's cultural
achievements. Buddhist temples flourished during the Koryo
period, and with them grew a need for fine vessels to be used
during the many ritual ceremonies. In the middle of the 10th
century Korean artists, some who had been schooled in China,
began creating celadon by using inlay and copper glazing
techniques which were developed first in China but only fully
developed and perfected by Korean artisans. The Korean use of
these techniques were unique in the history of pottery. The level of
fine quality and beauty they were able to achieve in their work
surpassed that of other countries and came to be revered by even
the Chinese for it's elegant, yet simple beauty. The Koryo Royal
Court also used some of the finest examples of celadon pottery in
their palaces both as vessels for daily use and as objects of fine art.
The finest examples of celadon were produced during the
middle and latter part of the 11th century by artisans who remain
unknown today. With the Mongol Invasions which started in 1231
AD the flourishing culture began to decline, and along with it, the
quality of the pottery being produced. By the beginning of the
Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910) most of the delicate manufacturing
techniques for celadon had been lost.
Brown Porcelain (Bun-Cheong)
During the middle 15th Century in the Chosun Dynasty, brown
porcelain, Bun-cheong, appeared and became the standard for daily
use by the people of the period. It was used by all classes of
society unlike celadon which had been used only by Buddhist
monks, royalty, and aristocrats. It was somewhat rougher in finish
than the celadon had been, and did not possess such delicate
beauty.
White Porcelain (Baek-Ja)
White porcelain appeared in the early 16th Century and like the
earlier brown porcelain, was widely manufactured and used by the
common people throughout Korea.
During the late 16th century the Japanese launched a series of
invasions into Korea (ImJinWaeRan) and forcibly relocated many
of the Korean artisans to Japan. These transplanted artisans helped
to influence the direction and style of Japanese pottery and arts and
account for the great similarity between the Korean and Japanese
arts.
Celadon Today
In 1910 Korea was forcibly colonized by the Japanese bringing
to an end the Chosun Dynasty. During the Japanese colonial period
(1910-1945) Korean pottery as an art form, all but died out. To be
sure, white porcelain and some brown porcelain was still produced
but it was of a lower quality for daily use and not considered art in
itself.
After Korea's liberation from Japanese rule at the end of WWII
and through the Korean war (1950-1953) survival, and not art, was
the order of the day. But in the mid-1950s a group of Korean
artisans set out to discover the lost art of Koryo celadon. Since that
time they have made great progress in re-discovering the lost art
and today are nearly able to reproduce the stunning beauty of the
original Koryo celadon.
The aesthetic beauty of Korean celadon
The aesthetic beauty of the the early Koryo celadon lies in its
subtle beauty and elegant simplicity. So impressed were the
Chinese scholars that they called Koryo celadon one of the 10
treasures of the world, while the Chinese artisans described its
color as "beyond description". Though its beauty can hardly be
described to someone who has not seen or experienced it in person,
the following descriptions by early 20th Century scholars come
close.
On seeing Korean celadons for the first time, many find little to attract them, or are even somewh
bluish or greyish green tones, which they consider monotonous and far removed from the brightly co
they are more familiar... Chinese wares shine brightly. For guests it is well to have Ming blue-and-w
appetite. But if we wish to hold quiet colloquy with them or have them in our room for a long time, s
quietness and subtlety of Korean pottery are said to show the quintessence of the Oriental spirit: its q
and style of make have been compared with the profound and exalted spirit of Zen Buddhism.... The
instant appeal to one's heart; their colours have unique transparent depth, and their freely carved deco
exude quietness of spirit...
Modern celadon maintains the same beauty. It can be seen in the
delicate latticework of cracks visible under its glaze, called
crazing, and in the deep jade-green color. The shapes derived from
nature such as those representing the human form further enhance
its appeal. It is somewhat difficult to appreciate the beauty of
celadon from a picture - one must look closely at the fine pattern of
crazing under the deep azure-green glaze. The longer one looks at
its rich color the more beautiful it appears.
Modern celadon can be roughly grouped into three different
categories - those pieces with inlaid designs, pieces with incised or
molded designs, and those with no design (plain). Although we
love all three styles, we particularly like the plain designs which
show off the rich color and delicate pattern of crazing under the
glaze.
Meaning of Design in Korean Celadon
Symbols
Both the designs and shapes used in Koryo celadon were
representations of the spiritual beliefs of the Korean people. These
beliefs were fostered by Shamanism, and the Buddhist beliefs of
the era. Following are the symbols most commonly used on inlaid
celadon and their meanings.
Circle: The circle represents
the Sun and worship for the
Sun.
Lotus: The lotus stands for the
Sun and mercy of Buddha
Peony: The peony depicts
richness and honors.
Duck: The duck symbolizes
the Premiere ranking.
Crane: The crane represents
Immortality
Shapes
In addition to the above symbols and their meanings, the actual
shape of the vessels has meaning as well. The shapes of the vessels
are derived from nature, as in the case of the bamboo shoot-shaped
pot shown here, or the Korean melon (Cham-wae) shaped vase
here. Other shapes adopted from nature include animal shaped
vessels or those with animals as part of their shapes like the turtle
decorated incense burner here. The human form is also subtly
represented in Korean pottery. The vases and bottles (Mae-byeong,
Ju-byeong), represent male and female respectively. The long
slender shape of the bottles with a gentle slope at the bottom
expresses the voluptuous beauty of femininity, while the wide
shoulder and stockiness of the vases, here, represents the
masculine form.
The Making of Korean Celadon
The manufacturing process of Korean celadon is a long affair
involving at least 10 steps. The first step is to gather the clay; there
are several regions in Korea where the special clays used in each
type of pottery are gathered from river banks. Each area's clay is
said to possess certain qualities essential to the production of fine
pottery. Frequently the different clays are mixed to obtain the
perfect blend, after which it is prepared for throwing.
Forming and molding are the next steps and are all done by hand
unlike ceramic ware which is made in molds. Asymmetrical
vessels are turned on a wheel while different shapes are formed by
hand or modified after being thrown on a wheel.
Next the inlaid pieces are engraved and inscribed while the plain
shapes are not. The inscribed portions are then filled, or in the case
of painted works the paint in then applied.
All pieces are then fired. The traditional hand hewn kilns were
built on a hill and had a series of small chambers all connected to
the main hearth at the base. Each chamber had an access door on
the side in which the pottery was put in or removed. After the fire
was built in the hearth the heat would rise up through the series of
chambers creating the necessary temperature for each type of firing
in each of the chambers.
The works are then glazed and given their final firing. The entire
process takes days or sometimes weeks and, due to the high level
of pride of the artisans the pottery has a very low survival rate.
Pieces that do not not meet the artist's standards are intentionally
destroyed at approximately the following rates:
5% in the molding process
15% in decorating
20% in 1st firing
25% in the final glazing
http://www.korean-arts.com/about_korean_celadon.htm
http://www.antiquealive.com/masters/m16/master16_view3.html