Skip to Main Content

Rustic Elegance from Mount Gyeryong Buncheong Surface Design in Iron Painting

Fig. 1 3-D model of Bottle with Fish Motif 물고기무늬 병

Using brushes filled with iron-rich paint, potters during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries quickly and freely painted intricate designs of fish, flowers, scrolls, and abstract motifs on buncheong ceramics coated with semi-wet white slip (a mixture of white clay and water) (fig. 1). The striking contrast of brownish or reddish patterns against a creamy background is the defining feature of iron-painted buncheong wares, showcasing the mastery of surface decoration among the seven representative styles in buncheong ceramics:

This cylindrical bottle has a flared opening at the center top. Geometric floral motifs adorn the side angled toward us, and the large central register features a looser flower motif. The bottle is light brown, the decorations are mostly thin white lines, and the top half has a light green glaze.
This cylindrical bottle has a flared opening at the center top and is covered with geometric floral motifs. The bottle is mostly white with some light brown showing beneath the design.
This cream-colored vessel bulges out over a small base and features a narrow opening at center top that is slightly flared. The piece features three vertical registers with thin lines that evoke peonies.
This wide, round vessel features a narrow, flared lid at top center. Cream-colored peonies stand out against a darker background. Seen from a three-quarters profile, the protruding side on the right features a pattern of petals.
The central register of this wide, round vessel features dark, abstracted flower petals and swirling brown lines. The body rests on a narrow base and has a narrow, flared opening at top center.
This wide, round vessel sits on a thin base and has a narrow, flared opening at top center. The body features loosely brushed cream-colored slip over a darker base color. The brushstrokes are vertical and follow the contours of the bottle.
This vertically oriented cream-colored vessel bulges slightly at center and rests on a flat bottom. At front left, in the center of the bulge, is a flared opening that protrudes from the body of the bottle.
See the Seven Decorative Techniques
  1. Inlay: filling an engraved pattern with a different clay
  2. Stamping: stamping a pattern into semidry clay brushed with white slip
  3. Incising: incising linear designs into white slip
  4. Carved-away (sgraffito): carving away the background around the desired pattern
  5. Iron-painting: painting designs with an iron oxide over white slip but before the application of glaze (underglaze)
  6. Brushed white slip: loosely brushing white slip onto clay
  7. Dipped white slip: dipping the vessel in white slip
Fig. 2 Map of Mount Gyeryong kiln sites.

The majority of surviving buncheong wares with iron-painted decoration have been unearthed from kilns located around Mount Gyeryong in South Chungcheong province (fig. 2). The Gyeryong mountain region holds immense historical significance, as it was first chosen by King Taejo (1335–1408, reigned 1392–98) of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) as the capital for the new dynasty in 1393.1 However, that same year, Hanyang, now known as Seoul, was ultimately selected as the capital.2

Kilns dating back to the Joseon dynasty in the Gyeryong mountain region were initially discovered in 1927 during the Japanese colonial period (1910–45) (fig. 3). Nearly six and a half decades later, in 1992, the Ho-Am Art Museum and the National Museum of Korea conducted thorough excavations of several kilns in the area, utilizing modern and professional methods (fig. 4). Ongoing excavations have continued to unearth valuable artifacts, with the majority consisting of buncheong wares. Additionally, these excavations have yielded other types of ceramics, including early whiteware and black wares.

This black-and-white photograph features at least nine people in white shirts and loose pants. In the center, four men sit, crouch, and bend over a hole in the side of a hill. In the middle ground, a man in seemingly western clothes faces away from the camera.
Fig. 3 Excavation of kilns in Hakbong-ri, Gongju, South Chungcheong province.
A brown, dirt landscape features a rectangular hole, deeper and wider in the foreground and narrower and shallower in the background.
Fig. 4 View of kiln no. Shin-1 Hakbong-ri in 1992.

Despite being created 500 to 600 years ago, buncheong wares with the iron painting technique still pose several intriguing and unresolved questions. One of the primary enigmas is why the buncheong wares from the Gyeryong region predominantly feature the iron painting technique. Some speculate that the abundance of iron-rich pigments in the area might have played a significant role in the preference.

Detail of a cream-colored jar that bulges out about one quarter of the way up and has a small flared opening at top. Thin, sweeping brown lines depict a fish facing left.
Fig. 5 Detail of fish motif on Bottle with Fish Motif 물고기무늬 병

Another intriguing query revolves around the prevalent motif of fish on the buncheong wares from the mountain region, despite its distance from the sea (fig. 5). Some scholars assume that these fish might represent river fish while others draw connections to fish symbolism found in East Asian art. However, no definitive consensus has been reached among scholars. The unanswered questions surrounding these ceramics enhance their allure to researchers, collectors, and viewers alike.

HKH

Notes

  1. The Annal of Taejo 3, in The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty [in Korean] (1393): 6a–b, https://sillok.history.go.kr/popup/viewer.do;jsessionid=4E61B8EB9CE78E0624A8040061EC5D46?id=kaa_10203024_001&type=view&reSearchWords=&reSearchWords_ime=#.↑︎

  2. Presently, key governmental administrations have been relocated to Sejong, near the Gyeryong mountain, forming a significant municipal administration area.↑︎

Copyright ©2023 Denver Art Museum

Fig. 1 3-D model of Bottle with Fish Motif 물고기무늬 병, late 1400s–early 1500s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). Buncheong with iron-painted design, 11⅞ × 6¾ in. dia. (30.3 × 17.3 cm dia.). National Museum of Korea: Bequest of Lee Kun-Hee, 2021. © National Museum of Korea. 3-D model by TaeSan Solutions. Ltd.
Fig. 2 Map of Mount Gyeryong kiln sites. Created by Julie Giles and Tasso Stathopulos.
This black-and-white photograph features at least nine people in white shirts and loose pants. In the center, four men sit, crouch, and bend over a hole in the side of a hill. In the middle ground, a man in seemingly western clothes faces away from the camera.
Fig. 3 Excavation of kilns in Hakbong-ri, Gongju, South Chungcheong province. Photographed by Ken Nomori. Dry glass plate photograph: 4¾ × 6½ in. (12 × 16.4 cm). National Museum of Korea: Dry plate 23521. © National Museum of Korea.
A brown, dirt landscape features a rectangular hole, deeper and wider in the foreground and narrower and shallower in the background.
Fig. 4 View of kiln no. Shin-1 Hakbong-ri in 1992. © National Museum of Korea.
Detail of a cream-colored jar that bulges out about one quarter of the way up and has a small flared opening at top. Thin, sweeping brown lines depict a fish facing left.
Fig. 5 Detail of fish motif on Bottle with Fish Motif 물고기무늬 병, late 1400s–early 1500s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). Buncheong with iron-painted design, 11½ × 6 in. dia. (29.2 × 15.2 cm dia.). National Museum of Korea: Bequest of Lee Kun-Hee, 2021. © National Museum of Korea.
of