cup, 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: Korean celadon wares were typically shaped to resemble natural forms. This cup, with its lobed body and scalloped rim, resembles a blooming lotus blossom, and the stand, an open flower.