pedestal bowl with cover, unknown maker from Korea

Exhibition Label:
"Nature/Natural," Jul-2014, Kris Ercums
Ceramic ritual objects demonstrate the emergence and flourishing of religious practice on the Korean peninsula. Objects like the kundika were used to sprinkle water in rituals dedicated to Buddhist divinities while baekja (white ware) was utilized in Confucian ancestral worship during the Joseon dynasty. While many of these ritual objects were initially created using expensive materials such as bronze, over time ceramic versions were increasingly used, which preserved the original ritual significance and made them more readily accessible to a wider audience. Many contemporary ceramic artists continue to draw inspiration form earlier ceramic traditions, expand this historical legacy in the world today.

Archive Label 2003:
This pedestal bowl is remarkably similar to a type of ancient Chinese vessel, examples of which have been found in north Korean tombs. Many Korean variations of this form have been discovered in Kaya, Silla, and Japanese tombs.

These Korean pots were produced on fast-spinning pottery wheels and commonly decorated with geometric perforations in the stem. The even glaze on this example is more sophisticated than the one seen on the jar. The transparent, smooth character indicates a purer mix of glaze ingredients.

Since food particles have been found in some of them, scholars believe that these vessels were used in rituals prior to being placed in the tomb or were buried with food in it.