wine ewer, unknown maker from Korea

This wine ewer is shaped like a Korean yellow melon called a “chamoe” and has inlayed mum blossoms, reflecting the Korean preference for depicting nature in art. The technique of inlay, called “sanggam,” is very time-consuming. Artists carve designs into unbaked clay with a needle or wooden tool and then fill in the remaining depressions with a white or black liquified clay called slip.