The Korean Moon Jar
20 September – 21 October 2007
Room 3
Admission free
This display focuses on a large, white porcelain jar considered
a masterpiece of Korean art. Unique to Korea, the moon jars were
made in the late to mid 17th to mid-18th century and were used for
storing rice, soy sauce, alcohol and sometimes displaying flowers.
The pure simplicity of the jar has inspired the work of modern
artists including British ceramicists Bernard Leach and Lucie Rie
as well as contemporary Korean photographer, Koo Bohnchang and
painter Kim Whanki.
The moon jar is one of only 20 remaining in the world. It rises
from a small base to a height of over 40cm, with its girth nearly
matching its height. Reinforcing the moon-like appearance is the
milky white colour with no pattern or decoration. Because of their
sheer size, jars of this kind were made by throwing the top and
bottom sections separately and joining them at the centre. In many
cases these two sections were slightly different in size and
thickness, creating an intriguing contour around the jar. Modern
day experiments at recreating these kind of voluminous jars
testifies to the great level of skill of the Joseon craftsman; many
jars would undoubtedly have failed to survive the kiln.
Behind the moon jar’s apparent simplicity lie complex ideas and
philosophy that were prevalent throughout over 500 year history of
Joseon period (1392 – 1910), the last royal dynasty of Korean
antiquity. It embodied the principles of frugality and purity that
were the major neo-Confucian ideals of literati and educated
aristocracy at the time. The asymmetry of the jar caused by warping
on the wheel or slumping in the kiln was viewed not as a deformity
rather as nature taking its course. The moon jar was born at the
time when Korea was rebuilding the nation from the ruins of two
major invasions: the Japanese invasion in 1592 and the Manchu
invasion in 1636. It was a period when the country was experiencing
a surge in its sense of national identity, economic prosperity and
a flowering of culture. Undecorated plain white wares, notably
those manufactured in the official kilns in Bunwon, Gwanju near
Seoul were seen as expressing a distinctive cultural voice. They
were the most in demand and widely manufactured ceramic type with
the court itself being a customer.
In the Room 3 display, the moon jar will be supported by several
objects that attempt to put it in its proper cultural context.
These include an image of a painting by Kim Hong-do (b.1745),
depicting the use of white porcelain wares at an elderly
gentlemen’s outdoor gathering as well as modern moon jar created by
Korea’s foremost contemporary ceramic artist Park Young-sook. The
latter is accompanied by a DVD showing the process of making white
porcelain jars as it would have been done 300 years ago. The modern
provenance of the jar is also explored.
The display will coincide with Chuseok, the Korea’s harvest
festival celebrating blessings of life with full moon on 22
September 2007. Marking both occasions, a series of programmes
ranging from costumed dancing, performances of percussion band and
experimental art and hands-on workshops will be presented in
collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre. There will
also be subtitled screenings of Chihwaseon (Drunk on Women and
Poetry) by Cannes’s Best Director winning, Lim Kwon-Taek and
historical drama series Jewel in the Palace (Daejangguem:大長今).
For further information or images please contact Katrina Whenham
on 020 7323 8583 or kwhenham@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk