Korean Bowls

With an entrancing aesthetic, Korean bowls are prized worldwide. Celadon Korean bowls are particularly appealing—so appealing that many historians believe the value of Korean potters played a part in the Imjin wars. While Korean bowls no longer drive international conflict, they continue to be sought after at auction due to their seductive jade-blue complexion.

The entrancing aesthetic of Korean bowls began to receive recognition from the greater world beginning in the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392 A.D.) and continues to be celebrated today. Celadon porcelain bowls from this period are renowned for their color and elaborate inlaid designs that adorn their surfaces.

While celadon porcelain was first introduced from China, Korean potters transformed the material through the infusion of techniques and an aesthetic sensibility all their own. This sensibility was so prized that historians have popularly described the Imjin wars (1592-1598 A.D.) as the War of Ceramics. When the Japanese army departed from the Korean peninsula, they seized several thousand potters of the Joseon dynasty to bring back to their homeland.

Quick Facts

• During the 14th and 15th centuries, examples of Korean white and celadon porcelain bowls spread worldwide, particularly to Japan, Southeast Asia, and Western Europe
• The chawan, or tea bowl, as well as the ceremonial ritual surrounding the consumption of tea, originated in China and was imported to Japan between the 13th and 16th centuries. During this period, ido chawan—Korean bowls that had previously been used for rice—became highly prized by the Japanese for use in tea ceremonies
• The Japanese favored the rustic simplicity and ascetic beauty of the ido chawan over other vessels produced in the region during this era