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A pale green pitcher sculpted in the shape of a melon

Glazed in a light gray-green with deeper green shading along its edges, the body of the vessel is shaped like a melon that is standing on one end, with vertical segments that narrow at the top and bottom. The base is flat and circular and the top also flattens, with a small ridge around the round opening in the middle. A short spout curves up and slightly outward from the upper middle of one side, and on the opposite side, a thin handle curves up from the top, and then down to attach at the middle. The base of the spout is decorated with incised lotus leaves.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1991.543
Title
Lobed, Melon-Shaped Ewer with Stylized Floral Decor
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
first half 12th century
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, Korea
Period
Koryŏ dynasty, 918-1392
Culture
Korean
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/201633

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Incised celadon ware: light gray stoneware with celadon glaze over incised decoration. Reportedly recovered in western Kyŏnggi province.
Technique
Celadon
Dimensions
H. 17.8 x Diam. 14.3 cm (7 x 5 5/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Gregory (1922-1988) and Maria C. Henderson (1923-2007), Medford, MA (by 1969-1988), inherited; by Maria C. Henderson, Medford, MA (1988-1991), partial gift and partial purchase; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1991.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Partial gift of Maria C. Henderson and partial purchase through the Ernest B. and Helen Pratt Dane Fund for Asian Art
Accession Year
1991
Object Number
1991.543
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Publication History

  • Gregory Henderson, Korean Ceramics: An Art's Variety, exh. cat., Ohio State University, Divisions of Art Gallery (Columbus, Ohio, 1969), p. 36, no. 55
  • Christian Boehm, Korean Celadon and Buncheong Ware in the Harvard Art Museums, Arts of Asia (Hong Kong, Autumn 2023), pp. 106-, p. 108, fig. 4

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu