Eunjung Shin commences a series of articles helping those unfamiliar with Korean art to understand some of the treasures in the Korean Gallery in the British Museum. Her first choice is the famous Moon Jar.
The full moon jar in the British Museum
Whenever people ask me what the essential characteristic of Korean art is, I always answer: ‘naturalism’. The full moon jar (dalhangari – 달항아리) in the British Museum represents naturalism in Korean art to its fullest extent. But the jar needs to be considered in its historical context, which includes the long-standing interrelationship between Korea and China.
The jar was made somewhere between the late 17th and mid 18th century, in the mid Choson dynasty (1392-1910), by an anonymous Korean artisan. Before the 17th century, Ming dynasty China (1368~1644) had a strong political and artistic influence on Korea. Throughout history, Korea has been less powerful than China, and the relationship is often described as being similar to that between elder and younger brothers in the Confucian tradition. The younger brother, Korea, always tried to show independence from the elder brother, China, but was never completely free. Whenever people talk about Korean culture and history, Chinese influence is always part of the story.
The Korean ceramic tradition has the second longest history in the world. The full moon jar is made of white porcelain, a tradition which was influenced by Chinese white ware. In the early Choson dynasty, potters tried to follow the Chinese white ware tradition, but Korean white ware developed its own character because it was not exported as much as the Chinese. Choson potters produced white porcelain for their domestic market, embodying the Choson neo-Confucian literati’s taste: not pursuing a perfect shape, and using a less decorated style.
Choson literati (Writing poem, Gang Hui-an (1417-1464))
Following the Manchu conquest of China, the Qing dynasty (1644~1911) was formed, markedly changing Korean attitudes to China. Choson Korea regarded the Manchus as ‘barbarians’ and thought of themselves as the only true followers of Confucius. The full moon jar was made in this period. As a result the jar shows strong Korean characteristics which are very different from the much more colourful Chinese pottery of the time.
The jar is not perfectly rounded in shape. Choson people considered a ‘perfect shape’ to be artificial rather than beautiful. Instead, they always pursued a natural ‘imperfection’. This pursuit is also associated with the Korean neo-Confucian literati’s moral attitude. Frugality and purity were the ideals of the time, in which human beings were regarded as being part of nature.
Literati house in the Choson dynasty
Naturalism appears in every aspect of Korean culture. Most traditional literati houses were made of timbers which were left unpainted. The houses retain the natural colour of the wood itself. In addition, the shape of wood also was left largely unchanged, with timbers left in their original shape rather than planed into rectangular beams. It looks as if the timbers have been embedded in the structure of the house straight from nature. In the painting by Chong Son below, the house is surrounded by its garden. The house does not dominate the space but is integrated with it. Chong Son intended the house to be seen as part of nature itself.
Ingok Retreat by Chong Son (1676-1759)
The jar is presented in the museum as a work of art, but it was not considered as such at the time. Choson dynasty housewives stored rice or soy sauce in the jar and sometimes used it as for flowers. The jar is similar in colour to the pure light of the moon. It seems like an object which has always existed in nature, long before people became aware of its existence. The full moon jar is Korean nature embodied: simple and natural rather than gigantic and colourful.
Bibliography
1. Choi, Jae-Soo, Hanoak: Traditional Korean homes, Seoul, 1999
2. Kang, Kyong-suk, Korean ceramics, Seoul, 2008
3. Pak, Young-sook, Earthenware and celadon, London, 2003
4. Portal, Jane, Korea : art and archaeology, London, 2000
Eunjung Shin is an MA student in East Asian Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London
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I was last sunday standing in front of it for a while; it was early in the morning with no one surrounding me. A touching instant.
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