Beyond the Bush: Discovering Korea's Emerald Treasures - Goryeo Celadon!

Beyond the Bush: Discovering Korea's Emerald Treasures - Goryeo Celadon!

G'day art enthusiasts and history buffs! Fancy a yarn about some seriously impressive ceramic artistry from way back? Today, we're heading to the Korean peninsula during the Goryeo Dynasty (고려), which ran from 918 to 1392 CE. This era was a absolute ripper for Korean ceramics, producing pieces so beautiful they were said to be like jade. We're talking about Goryeo Celadon (고려 청자)!

So, What Exactly is Goryeo Celadon?

Put simply, Goryeo celadon refers to the unique stoneware and porcelain with a distinctive green glaze made during this dynasty. While pottery existed before Goryeo, this period really saw the craft hit new heights. Initially, Goryeo potters were influenced by Chinese techniques, especially from the Song Dynasty in China's Zhejiang Province. But, by the 12th century, they weren't just copying; they'd developed their own ripper style and clever methods.

These ceramics weren't just pretty faces; they were used for practical stuff like storing food and other household items. But they were so exquisitely made that they were also considered valuable art pieces, often given as gifts to important people.

That Iconic Glaze: Bisaek (비색)

The thing that often makes people go "Crikey!" about Goryeo celadon is its stunning, glowing green or greenish-blue glaze. This particular, highly-prized colour is known as bisaek (비색). The name translates to 'kingfisher colour', and you can totally see why – it's like looking into the depths of a beautiful green jewel.

Getting this perfect colour was a fair dinkum complex and skilled job. It involved:

  • Using clay with high iron oxide levels.
  • Firing the ceramics in a kiln at around 1150ºC or less.
  • Crucially, carefully reducing the oxygen in the kiln during firing. This made the fire "strip" copper off the glaze, helping create that unique colour.
  • Unlike earlier ceramics fired just once, Goryeo celadon was typically glazed and fired twice.
  • The glaze itself was put on super thinly and captured thousands of tiny air bubbles, which gave it that special look. Some pieces even had deliberate cracks in the glaze for texture.

The 12th century is widely considered the absolute peak for achieving the perfect bisaek (비색) colour and those elegant shapes. Historical records from that time even described the celadon as "world best".

Beyond the Glaze: Rich Decoration Techniques

While the glaze is captivating, the decoration on Goryeo celadon really shows off the artisans' skills. They used a bunch of different techniques:

  • Plain: Some ripper pieces just relied on the elegant shape and the richness of the glaze itself.

  • Incised: Delicate patterns were scratched or cut into the surface with a knife. This needed some seriously high skill.

  • Carved: Designs could be carved right out of the clay.

  • Mold-Impressed: They also used molds to press designs onto the surface. This was a bit easier and quicker, not needing the absolute top level of skill. Both carving and mold-impression created raised designs.

  • Openwork: This involved cutting out designs, often showing things like woven baskets, flowers, dragons, or lattice patterns. A famous 12th-century incense burner with an openwork lid is considered a classic example.

  • Painting: Simple designs could be painted on. Underglazed celadon meant painting before glazing and firing.

  • Paste-on-paste: Using clay on brushes to make dots or pictures before glazing, resulting in patterns that weren't smooth like inlay.

  • Marbled: Different coloured clays were kneaded together to make a marble pattern.

  • Inlay (Sanggam 상감): This is perhaps the most unique and celebrated technique, developed right there in Goryeo. Called sanggam (상감), it involved carving designs into the clay and then filling those carved-out bits with white or purple clay slip. After glazing and firing, the white stayed white, and the purple turned black, creating intricate patterns visible through the glaze. It's worth noting that getting this just right was tricky because the different clays shrank differently. This technique likely started showing up around the 1150s, became more common later in the 12th century, and really hit its stride after the 12th century, marking a "second zenith" for Goryeo celadon.

  • Accents: They also added a bit of flash using certain materials:

    • Iron oxide gave them black or brown bits.
    • Copper oxide created red accents. Using copper became popular later in the Goryeo period. Getting that red colour from copper oxide was really hard because it was unstable during firing.
    • Gold was even used occasionally, painted onto finished inlaid pieces and fired again at a lower heat.

Popular Designs and Shapes

The designs on Goryeo celadon were diverse, showing off the culture, nature, and religious beliefs (Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism) of the time. Common patterns included:

  • Flowers like lotuses, peonies, and chrysanthemums. The lotus was a big favourite.
  • Birds, especially cranes, but also ducks. Cranes and clouds together were a classic.
  • Geometric patterns.
  • Animals like dragons and mandarin ducks. They even sculpted entire animal forms.
  • Landscapes, often depicting rural scenes.

Celadon was used to make heaps of different things:

  • Bowls and dishes.
  • Boxes.
  • Pitchers (ewers).
  • Incense burners.
  • Tea bowls and stands.
  • Vases – particularly the instantly recognizable Maebyeong (매병) shape, a tall vase with a curved shoulder.
  • They even made architectural bits like roof tiles.

These pieces were highly valued. The royal court and wealthy folks were major customers. Celadon vessels were used in fancy tea ceremonies enjoyed by the elite. Archaeological evidence from shipwrecks tells us they were transported by water, even sent as tax payments (tribute) to the capital.

Production and Decline

Celadon making was mainly happening in specific spots, particularly the Gangjin (강진) and Buan (부안) kiln sites in Jeolla province in the south. Hundreds of kiln sites have been found down there.

While the 12th century was the peak for that gorgeous glaze colour, the refinement of the inlay technique after the 12th century was another golden age for the artistry. Sadly, the quality started to drop off after the Mongolian invasion around 1220 or 1231, and you start seeing more influence from the Yuan dynasty. As the dynasty weakened, the decline continued. Production eventually moved away from the famous coastal kilns after they were attacked in the late 14th century, shifting to inland sites and making more everyday items. This later stage hinted at the kind of pottery that would become popular in the next dynasty, called Buncheong ware.

More Goryeo Innovations

The Goryeo Dynasty wasn't just about amazing pottery, either. They were clever clogs in other ways too! They developed movable type from metal in the 13th century, creating the world's first successful example of this in 1234 CE – centuries before ol' Gutenberg in Europe (this info about Gutenberg being centuries later is outside the source, but provides context). They also created the Tripitaka Koreana (해인사 팔만대장경), a massive collection of Buddhist texts carved onto about 80,000 woodblocks between 1237 and 1248 CE. These woodblocks, housed at Haeinsa Temple (해인사), are still around today, admired for their precision and quality.

Rediscovery and Legacy

After the Goryeo Dynasty fell, tastes changed in Korea, and celadon wasn't really used widely anymore; it was largely forgotten for a while. It wasn't until the late 19th century, when Goryeo tombs were unearthed (sometimes looted), that these stunning ceramics were rediscovered and people around the world started to admire them again.

Today, Goryeo celadon pieces are celebrated as absolute masterpieces of Korean art. Many are even designated as National Treasures of South Korea. Their beautiful serene colour, the incredible skill involved, and their historical importance still captivate people today, giving us a real connection to the artistry and culture of this significant Korean dynasty.

Hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the world of Goryeo celadon! Cheers!

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