Jar
Unknown Artist
1700s
Medium
glazed porcelain
Dimensions
h. 34.3 cm · outer diameter 31.6 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Korean Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1983.28
About this artwork
This white jar reflects values of frugality and pragmatism, political ideals encouraged by the ruling house’s government. The absence of underglaze cobalt blue decoration could be the artist’s response to the socioeconomic crisis caused by famines in the late 1600s. The Korean ruling house then enforced strict laws banning luxuries, including cobalt blue, to preserve state finances. Such challenges did not stop the artist from experimenting with a new aesthetics. The concept of minimalism, often...