Celadon Container with Inlaid Lotus and Chrysanthemum Design and Inscription of “Jeongneung”

Goryeo Period (14th Century)

This comparatively large cylindrical vessel is densely ornamented on its exterior: bands of thunder-pattern (뇌문) meander and lotus-petal motifs encircle the upper and lower registers respectively. At four points around the body, three fully opened chrysanthemum blossoms are set within double-ringed circular medallions bordered by a ring of circular motifs, all rendered in black-and-white inlay, with pendant bead curtain (juryeom) motifs filling the intervening spaces. Above the lotus-petal band at the base, delicately rendered lotus and willow motifs are interspersed with the inlaid inscription Jeongreung (正陵). The glaze is a greenish-blue celadon, uneven in tone across the surface, with areas of greenish-brown discoloration. The foot ring is low, and the piece was fired on sand supports. Jeongreung was the name of the royal tomb of Queen Noguk, consort of King Gongmin of Goryeo, and this vessel is identified as a piece of funerary or commemorative ware produced for use at the Jeongreung tomb site between approximately 1365 and 1374 — making it a work of exceptional historical significance within the corpus of Goryeo celadon. It is presumed to have been produced and used at the Sadang-ri kilns in Gangjin during the latter half of the fourteenth century.