Celadon Kundika

Goryeo Period (12th Century)

This refined kundika exemplifies the classic form of the type: a hexagonally faceted, pointed foot encircled by a ring collar; a slender, elongated neck; a body that swells at the shoulder and tapers gradually downward; and a single lateral handle applied to one side. A kundika is a ritual water vessel used in Buddhist ceremonies to hold pure water for ablutions. Although such vessels were produced in great numbers throughout the Goryeo period in both bronze and celadon, a work of such harmonious proportion is exceptionally rare. The glaze is a soft, pale greenish-blue, suffused across the entire surface with fine crazing. The interior of the foot ring retains traces of the clay-mixed kiln-grit supports on which the piece was fired. Elegant and supremely well-formed, this kundika is presumed to have been produced at the Sadang-ri kilns in Gangjin during the twelfth century, when Goryeo celadon production was at its height.