18th Century Korean Ceramic Dragon Joseon Dynasty Moon Jar

Description

On offer is a large Korean ceramic storage jar (hangari) with white glaze and iron red underglaze dragon design. The … more On offer is a large Korean ceramic storage jar (hangari) with white glaze and iron red underglaze dragon design. The globular shaped jar derived its form from the Moon Jar of the early Joseon dynasty, which were fused with two hemispheres and mostly glazed in pure white. This jar was made as a single piece on potter's wheel and was likely dated from 18th century. It was decorated with underglaze iron red painting of a dragon chasing a flaming pearl among the clouds, a beloved motif in Korean art. The rustic rendering of the dragon was rather humorous and full of folky charm. The strokes were dynastic but also naive and child-like. This combined with the bold form of the jar, make the piece quite attractive. By examining the quality of the clay and the glaze, as well as the execution, it appears to us that instead of being produced in the government-run kilns in Gwangju, which was more vigorous in controlling its output, the jar might be made at a private kiln outside the capital area and designated for vernacular use.
It retains a paper sticker of Japanese collection indicating that this jar belonged to the Kishu Tokugawa family, which is a branch of the Tokugawa clan based in Abe, Shizuoka. It was founded in 1619, when Tokugawa Yorinobu, 10th son of Tokugawa Leyasu, was appointed to rule Kii Province. In addition, there is a catalog number and description "Li Dynasty" in Kanji as well as a location name that appears to be "South X Courtyard X".
For a very similar jar see lot 7018 of Bonham's New York Sale "The Korean Aesthetic: The Collection of Robert W. Moore". 03/15/2017
Older jars with similar design can be found in the collection of Philadelphia Musuem of Art (Accession Number: 2002-196-1); National Musuem of Korea (Deoksu 1836); Asian Art Musuem San Francisco (2003.9). less