Accession Number
2004/1.213

Title
Bowl with Double-Parrot Design

Artist(s)
Korean

Artist Nationality
Korean (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
11th century

Medium & Support
stoneware with incised decoration under celadon glaze

Dimensions
3 x 6 13/16 x 6 13/16 in. (7.6 x 17.3 x 17.3 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Bruce and Inta Hasenkamp and Museum purchase made possible by Elder and Mrs. Sang-Yong Nam

Label copy
There is no way to know today whether these two bowls were designed as part of a set, but they are so similar in shape and design that they must have come from the same kiln, in the same generation—and perhaps even from the hand of the same potter.
The phoenix, a mythical bird depicted with a long, flowing tail, was an emblem of longevity across East Asia and often appears in the decorative arts of the Goryeo period.
Maribeth Graybill, The Enduring Art of the Korean Potter, December 12, 2004-November 6, 2005

Subject matter
Tea bowl with incised double parrot design.
Parrot design is described long tail, elliptical head and crooked beak. It was found on the bowl or vessel of the Goryeo Dynasty. Bird design represents family happiness, status rising and longevity.

Physical Description

This bowl is an example of an early celadon influenced by Chinese Yue ware. Similar vessels have been excavated from sedimentary layers of the Kiln no. 10 at Yongun-ri, Gangjin-gun, Jeollanam-do. The design, which features two parrots with their wings spread around the bowl’s inner wall, is also similar to the design found in Yue ware. This piece counts as medium quality ware, since its glaze is poorly fused. Refractory spurs are stuck around the rim, while the glaze has flowed downwards. There are six refractory spur marks on the shallow foot.
[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2014) p.90]

Stoneware teabowl with celadon glaze. A pair of parrots is incised on he inside of the bowl, as well as a line that runs slightly below and parallel to the rim.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
bowl

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
Koryŏ
bowls (vessels)
celadon (glaze)
ceramics (object genre)
incising
phoenixes
stoneware (pottery)