| Description |
Ceramic tea cup in the celadon (cheongja) tradition; Tea cup with lid and a removable ceramic infuser nested inside; Cup is small and squat, with a low, bulbous neck and a narrow base; Lid hangs a bit over the mouth of the cup and bulges slightly at the top, where it is decorated with a chrysanthemum flower, encircled in black and white, surrounded by cranes and clouds; Exterior of cup is decorated in an inlaid crane and cloud motif, which is associated with Buddhism; The crane designs are primarily white, with black fine line detail used for the feet, tail feathers, and facial features; Cranes are not encircled, a motif which traditionally represents male animals; Removable infuser is slipped green on upper 3/4, both inside and out, but is otherwise undecorated; It is unslipped on the interior and exterior bottom where it has multiple small perforations to allow the tea to seep; Infuser nests inside cup supported by its own rim which extends over the rim of the cup; Lid completely covers infuser; Korean characters are painted on the base. The celadon tradition was begun in China and perfected in Korea during the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392 CE); Typified by their pale green or blue-green luster reminiscent of jade and a super smooth glaze, celadon pieces were traditionally decorated with a variety of techniques, including carvings, incising, impressing and an intricate inlay technique unique to Korea known as sanggam, where designs are carved on the surface and colored clay inlaid before applying the slip; The layers are then carved away to reveal the varying colors; Compare to tea cup CAS 2019-0004-0026A-C which was collected together with this tea cup. |
