Iron-glazed Prunus Vase with Inlaid Floral Design

1100s-1200s

Iron-glazed Prunus Vase with Inlaid Floral Design, 1100s-1200s. Korea, Goryeo period (918-1392). Iron-black ware; overall: 29.7 cm (11 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1961.270 As early as the seventh century, the practice of drinking tea and wine became an important part of elite culture in Korea. Once used to store alcoholic beverages, this type of vase features a wide body followed by a sharply rounded shoulder, a short neck, and a small opening. Most of the remaining examples no longer have a lid, but originally it may have had a lid that not only covered the opening, but also served as a cup. Against a brownish-sepia underglaze surface, three ginseng leaves with roots are inlaid with white slip, striking a modern, minimalistic style. The inlaid image that adorns the shoulder of this vase is ginseng leaves, famous medicinal herbs.