White Porcelain Rectangular Bottle with Seven Treasures and Flower Designs in Blue Underglaze  (白磁靑畫七寶花卉文四角甁)

Joseon dynasty, 19th century, H. 14.5cm , Ewha Womans University Museum of Korea ⓒEwha Womans University Museum of Korea

This rectangular bottle produced in the late Joseon period features many technical and stylistic innovations inspired by Japanese ceramics. Unlike traditional Joseon bottles, this example features a curved mouth that was thrown separately and attached during the final phase of modeling. Similarly, the bottle displays an unusual diagonal ridge along the shoulder of the vessel.

In addition, each side of the bottle is decorated with underglaze paintings of flowers (花卉), plum blossoms (梅花), seven treasures designs (七寶文) and flower-floating-on-water Patterns (花流水文)* within a zig-zag shaped frame known as songpireung (松皮菱)*.

The songpirung motif and flower and Floating-on-water Patterns in particular, frequently appear in Japanese painting and textiles from as far back as the Edo period but were all but unknown in Joseon up until the nineteenth century. This example clearly demonstrates how rectangular bottles produced in Joseon incorporated many technical and stylistic innovations from Japanese ceramics.

The bottle was produced using high quality clay and a refined light-blue glaze. In addition, the firing process was also carefully monitored so that the glaze would set at the perfect temperature. Such a sophisticated ceramic was likely produced at the Bunwon (分院) royal kilns in the mid-nineteenth century.

*Floating-on-water Patterns (花流水文) depict flowers floating downstream 

*Songpireung (松皮菱) refers to a zig-zag shaped frame for a window that overlooks a garden

An inscription on the foot of the bottle indicates that it was produced in the Musin (戊申) year and destined for a place known as Gyeongsugung (慶壽宮). King Jeongjo bestowed the name Gyeongsugung on his concubine Hwabin of the Yun clan (和嬪 尹氏, 1765-1824) and the term was later used to refer to her shrine (祠堂). Although, the Musin year could refer to 1788 or 1848, scholars prefer the later date based on stylistic considerations.