Bowl

1100s

Bowl, 1100s. Korea, Goryeo period (918-1392). Celadon; outer diameter: 25.1 cm (9 7/8 in.); overall: 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Director's Contingent Fund 1918.442 As early as the seventh century, the practice of drinking tea became an important part of elite culture in Korea. In enjoying teas, elites commissioned a variety of types of utensils and vessels including this large bowl, not only to make their tea-drinking experience more exciting, but also to show their refined taste. The distinctive bluish and greenish glaze of Goryeo celadons, shown in this bowl, is the result of distinctive small and long Korean kilns, which maintained a low oxygen saturation with a high level of carbon dioxide.