Goryeo celadon: inlaid celadon from Korea
Goryeo celadon is Korea's great contribution to the art of ceramics: a green glaze taken from China and transformed by a technique China never used, inlay. This guide explains sanggam inlay, the kilns of Gangjin, and the octagonal dish we have for sale.
Sanggam: inlay
Sanggam is the technique that makes Goryeo celadon unique. The potter carves a design into the leather-hard clay, fills the carved lines with white slip and black slip, scrapes the surface smooth, and then covers the whole piece in celadon glaze. After firing, the design shows through the green glaze: white lines and black lines, crisp as a drawing. No Chinese kiln ever did this, and no other Korean ware does it so well.
Gangjin and Buan
Almost all Goryeo celadon was made in the southwestern counties of Gangjin and Buan, where the clay and the pine forests for fuel were ideal. At their height in the 12th and 13th centuries, these kilns supplied the Goryeo court, and the finest pieces, like the maebyeong vases and the octagonal dishes, were made for the aristocracy. Production declined after the Mongol invasions of the 13th century and ended with the dynasty in 1392.
Chrysanthemums and other motifs
The most loved motif of Goryeo inlaid celadon is the chrysanthemum, a symbol of longevity, shown as a spray of flowers in white and black inlay. Other favourites are clouds, cranes, peonies and lotus scrolls. Our octagonal dish has a chrysanthemum spray inlaid on each of its eight panels, framed by white inlay borders: a classic Goryeo design.
Buying Goryeo celadon
Goryeo celadon is the most collected Korean ceramic, and prices for fine inlaid pieces have risen steadily. Look for inlay that is crisp and sits under the glaze, and for the soft, grey-green glaze that the Gangjin kilns produced. Later copies are often too bright a green. Small dishes like ours, at $2,100, are a good place to start. Every piece we sell is described in full and guaranteed as described without time limit.
