Harvard Art Museums > 2010.565: Ovoid Bottle with Flat Back, Dish-Shaped Mouth, and Well-Articulated Lip Vessels Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Ovoid Bottle with Flat Back, Dish-Shaped Mouth, and Well-Articulated Lip , 2010.565,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 26, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/336964. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2010.565 Title Ovoid Bottle with Flat Back, Dish-Shaped Mouth, and Well-Articulated Lip Classification Vessels Work Type vessel Date 12th-14th century Places Creation Place: East Asia, Korea Period Koryŏ dynasty, 918-1392 Culture Korean Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/336964 Physical Descriptions Medium Light gray stoneware with kiln-blackened surface Technique Unglazed Dimensions H. 16.3 x Diam. 11.6 cm (6 7/16 x 4 3/8 x 4 9/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History [through ?, Korea, mid 1960s]; to Jerry Lee Musslewhite (mid 1960s-2009); to Estate of Jerry Lee Musslewhite (2009-2010), sold; to Harvard Art Museums, 2010. NOTE: Jerry Lee Musslewhite was an employee of the U.S. Department of Defense who worked in the Republic of Korea from 1965 to 1969. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Purchase through the generosity of Alan J. and Suzanne W. Dworsky Accession Year 2010 Object Number 2010.565 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This ovoid bottle rises from a flat, circular base; it lacks even a hint of a footring. Above the bottle's shoulder, its walls constrict to form a narrow neck and then expand to form the small, dish-shaped mouth with well-articulated lip. The "back" of the bottle is lightly flattened. The bottle's only embellishments are an incised bowstring line around the shoulder and the delicately defined lip that encloses the dished mouth. The bottle is unglazed. Although made of light to medium gray stoneware, which is visible on the flat base, the bottle's exterior walls appear black due to carbon saturation during firing. While it seems to have been accidental on Korean vessels from the Kaya and Silla periods, carbon saturation is such a regular feature of unglazed stoneware vessels made during the Kory? dynasty that it is likely that such vessels were covered with soot (as opposed to ash) before firing to ensure that the surfaces would blacken when heated. Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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