Bowl and Saucer with Incised Lotus and Peony Design

1100s

Bowl and Saucer with Incised Lotus and Peony Design, 1100s. Korea, Goryeo period (918-1392). Pottery; diameter: 17.9 cm (7 1/16 in.); overall: 9 cm (3 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of John L. Severance 1918.455 As early as the seventh century, the practice of drinking tea and wine became an important part of elite culture in Korea. Elites of the Goryeo period commissioned a variety of types of utensils and vessels including this saucer paired with a large bowl, to make their drinking experience more exciting. This type of celadon bowl was modeled after Ru ware of northern China. Xu Jing (1091-1153), the Chinese official who visited Korea in 1123, called the Korean celadon ware as the “new kiln ware of Ru-zhou.”