Celadon Libation Vessel with Incised Peony Design

Goryeo Period (12th Century)

This vessel, known as a toejugi (wine-dregs receptacle) or tagu (spittoon), presents a distinctive form comprising a bowl-shaped upper section with an open, pierced foot ring set upon a rounded, hemispherical lower body. The mouth rim of the bowl-shaped upper portion is inverted, curving inward, and the interior surface is decorated with five peony medallions rendered in fine incised lines. A continuous band of thunder-pattern (뇌문) meander encircles the inner rim. The glaze is a deep, richly toned bisaek celadon — jade-green in character — and fine crazing runs across the entire surface. This vessel belongs to a category of wares used to receive the residual wine poured from cups during banquets, and is presumed to have been produced at the Sadang-ri kilns in Gangjin during the twelfth century, at the height of Goryeo celadon production. Evidence of repair is visible along a portion of the mouth rim.