Jar with dragon design

Known as “dragon jars,” white porcelain vessels decorated with dragons painted in cobalt blue were produced throughout the Joseon period. Dragon jars were illustrated in the Royal Protocol (Uigwe) as vessels that were used exclusively by the royal court in rituals and banquets up until the early nineteenth century. The Gwangju area of Gyeonggi province was the site of official kilns producing white porcelains for the royal household.

This porcelain is powerful in shape, size, and design. The body of this jar is covered by two enormous dragons playfully chasing Buddhist wish-granting jewels or flaming pearls (yeo’uiju) among stylized clouds. The dragons symbolize the authority of the king. The left claw on each dragon is painted so vigorously that its form spreads outside the confines of the pictorial space, which signifies the artistic freedom of the painter. It also hints at Korean aesthetics in general, which are not bound by regulated norms.