Jar with Plum, Bamboo, and Poem Design in Underglaze Iron
Artifact Name
(English) Jar with Plum, Bamboo, and Poem Design in Underglaze Iron
(Korean) 백자철화 매죽문 시명 호
(Chinese Character) 白磁鐵畵梅竹文詩銘壺
Culture/PeriodJoseon 17th century
MaterialsWhite Porcelain
DimensionsH. 35.3cm
Assigned No.
Description
In underglaze iron paint, a plum tree is drawn on one side of the jar, while depicted on the other side is bamboo and poems written by Lee Jeong-gu, one of the representative literary men of the mid-Joseon. The poems are written, side by side, as follows: “Careful in speech, yet enough to reveal the entire world, and follow murkiness and clearness from time to time. Its emptiness may allow it to fill all things, and its whiteness in quality may reveal its nature.” This jar is an outstanding work of art in which plum and bamboo, the symbol of integrity and spirit of the virtuous literati (seonbi), are drawn in a delicate stroke, along with the poems that reveal the refined tastes of the literati.
