Interview with Matthew Welch

Curator of Korean and Japanese Art

1. We hear so much about Chinese and Japanese ceramics. Tell us about the major contributions that the Koreans made.

(1) Close-up of the blue-green glaze so admired by the Chinese.

(2) The glaze's richness is enhanced by light and various degrees of thickness.

There are many astonishing things about Korean culture, but one of the most interesting facts is that the Koreans were able to establish an important ceramic industry that reflected their own indigenous style and taste&mdashlin the shadow of China. Keep in mind that the Chinese were the undisputed masters of world ceramics. From very early on, imperial patronage in China allowed potters there to make rapid technological progress so that Chinese potters developed new glazes, firing techniques, kiln structures, decorative techniques, and so on, far in advance of other cultures. Despite the monolithic accomplishments of neighboring Chinese potters, Korea ceramists as early as the 10th century developed a type of glaze that even the Chinese conceded was the best of its type in the world.(1, 2)

This is the so-called "kingfisher glaze." It's a kind of blue-green celadon glaze that was distantly related to Chinese prototypes. That is, the Chinese had been producing green celadon ware since the 5th century. But Chinese celadon tended to be a grassier or grayer green. For whatever reason, the Koreans in the 10th and 11th century developed this beautiful luminescent blue-green color.

2. What was the technique?

Korean celadon is a result of the same general production techniques that were used in China. Potters created a feldspathic glaze material with a small amount of iron, which also reacted with the iron content of the clay. By firing vessels coated with this glaze in a reduction atmosphere—that is, in a kiln that is sealed from the outside to deplete oxygen within the kiln chambers—Korean potters were able to create this beautiful blue-green color.

3. Were the Chinese impressed with more than just this technique?

Korean potters were also able to create their own unique style. Whereas a tremendous percentage of ceramics created in Asia merely emulated preceding Chinese ware, the Koreans came up with several important innovations.

(3) A Chinese-made double gourd ewer from the Northern Sung dynasty (960-1126).

Korean potters tended to be influenced by organic forms in nature. This double-gourd shaped ewer is a good example of this phenomenon. The Chinese also produced double gourd shapes, (3) but there's an organic, natural quality to Korean pieces that was greatly admired.

4. Aside from seeing the similarities between cultural objects, how do we know of the Chinese admiration of Korean ceramics?

There are two very interesting records that remain from the Chinese themselves. An imperial Chinese envoy to the Korean court in the 12th century, named Xu Jing (pronunciation: "SHOO JING"), specifically mentioned the skillful manufacture and beautiful glaze of Korean celadon in his official report. Another record by an unknown Chinese who was active about the same time as Xu Jing consists of lists of things that were "first under heaven," in other words, the "best in the world." In his entry for celadon, he mentions Korean's "secret color" as the "first under heaven."

So it's an amazing thing that the Chinese themselves, who were justifiably proud of their own impressive ceramic tradition, recognized the great beauty of Korean celadon.