Kundika (water vessel), 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: The vessel type known as kundika (K. chong-byong) is characterized by an ovoid body with a small spout on the side, and a long neck with a flanged swelling, and a slender tube-like mouth. Originally, it was a type of water bottle used by ascetics in India. It is filled via the spout on the shoulder, and water is poured out through the tubular mouth. Transported to East Asia by Buddhist pilgrims, it was used in Buddhist rituals to sprinkle holy water on worshippers. It is also a characteristic attribute of the Bodhisattva of Compassion (Avalokitesvara, K. Kwan’ um). In addition to ceramic examples, there are many bronze kundika from the Koryo period. The Chinese envoy Xu Jing, who visited Koryo in 1123, noted that kundika “were used by the nobility, government officials, temples, and common people alike for storing water.” This suggests that they were also used as secular utilitarian items. The brownish-green glaze of this vessel probably resulted from oxidation that occurred during firing.