White Porcelain Brush Rack in the Shape of Five Peaks in Underglaze Cobalt Blue  /  White Porcelain Brush Washer in the Shape of Kumgang Mountain in Underglaze Cobalt Blue

Joseon Period (19th Century)

White Porcelain Brush Rest in the Form of Five Peaks, with Celadon-Blue Glaze

This brush rest (pilga) is modeled in the form of five mountain peaks and was produced as one of a range of scholarly desk objects. A large central aperture is pierced through the tallest of the five peaks to receive a full-sized writing brush. The entire surface is washed in a celadon-blue (cheongchae) glaze, imparting a quality of fresh, modern sensibility that distinguishes the piece from more conventional examples. The work was produced in celadon-blue white porcelain at the Bunwon-ri kiln during the nineteenth century.

White Porcelain Brush Washer in the Form of Mount Geumgang, with Celadon-Blue Glaze

This brush washer (pilse) is modeled after the rocky peaks and caverns of Mount Geumgang, with a small water vessel (soho) attached for rinsing the brush — an unusual and inventive form within the genre of scholarly desk objects. The entire surface is washed in celadon-blue (cheongchae) glaze. Produced at the Bunwon-ri kiln during the nineteenth century, the piece conveys a delicate, refined quality that speaks to a distinctly modern design sensibility — at once rooted in the classical literati tradition and strikingly original in conception.