The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 5, 2023

Water Ewer for Rituals (Kundika) with Incised Parrot Design

청자 음각 앵무새무늬 정병 (靑磁陰刻鸚鵡文淨甁)

1100s

Part of a set. See all set records

Korea, Goryeo period

(918-1392)

Stoneware with celadon glaze, incised and carved decoration

Overall: 35.3 cm (13 7/8 in.)

Gift of John L. Severance 1921.631

Location

236 Korean

Fun Fact

Unlike most existing examples that have an image of a willow tree or lotus pond, this ewer bears an image of flying parrots delicately incised on its surface.

Description

This distinctively shaped celadon vessel is a kundika. With a spout on one side, this type of vessel is often used in Buddhist purification rituals. Unlike most existing examples that have an image of a willow tree, this work has a rare flying phoenix design incised on its surface. During the Goryeo period (918-1392), about 260 kilns operated in mainly Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces, meeting a soaring demand for high-end products like this example.

Provenance
?–1921
(Dr. Alfred Irving Ludlow [1875–1961], Cleveland, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1921–
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Other types of Goryeo-period kundika can be found in the collection of the National Museum of Asian Art (Washington DC). asia.si.edu
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Jenifer Neils. The World of Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Museum in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1982. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 134-135, no. 137
Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
Sŏn, Sŭng-hye. The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011. Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 71-72, no. 65
Korean art from the United States [미국, 한국미술을 만나다]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2012. Reproduced: p. 18, no. 3
Ku, Ir-hoe 구 일회 and Kang Kyŏng-nam 강 경남. Chʹŏnha cheil pisaek chʹŏngja [천하제일비색청자= The best under heaven the celadons of Korea]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2012.
Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 249
Goryeo: The Glory of Korea [대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.
Sparkles of Jade: Goryeo Celadon [高麗青磁 : ヒスイのきらめき]. Ōsaka: Ōsaka: Shiritsu Tōyō Tōji Bijutsukan, 2018.
McCormick, Sooa Im. "The Past and Present of the Korean Collection in the Cleveland Museum of Art." In The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, 국외소재문화재재단, and An Min-hŭi, ed., 22-37. First edition, English ed. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Series, 16. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2021. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 33, fig. 31, P. 54-55
Exhibition history

Object in Focus: Kundika. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 15-September 14, 2003).

Korean Art from the United States. National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Korea (Republic of) (organizer) (June 4-August 5, 2012).

Korean Gallery 236 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 16, 2018-January 20, 2019).

Ink, Paper, and Brush - Korean Gallery 236 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 24, 2019-January 26, 2020).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.631