Koryo Celadon Porcelains

Koryo celadon porcelains, called the treasure of the world, are a source of pride for the Korean nation. It is widely recognized as an outstanding creation in the world history of ceramics.
Korea has a long history of ceramics.
In particular, the period of Koryo (918-1392) witnessed rapid advances in ceramic workmanship.
Koryo ceramics, which contemporary craftsmen created by inheriting and developing their ancestors’ skills, were noted for their beautiful shapes, graceful colours and diverse patterns.
They can be divided mainly into celadon porcelains, white porcelains and black porcelains according to their background colours, and into embossed porcelains, concave porcelains, openwork porcelains and inlaid porcelains according to decoration skills.
The most outstanding of these ceramics is celadon porcelains, the ones with inlaid designs being the height of ceramic workmanship.
Koryo celadon porcelains show a mixture of clear, sharp and soft tints.
Their colour was often considered to be remindful of the sapphire sky of autumn, blue sky after rain, or blue stream in the mountains.
Also, for being so clean and glossy, it was sometimes compared to the celadon colour of jade. Hence the name, in all probability.
These porcelains, also known as Koryo jade-green ceramics or Koryo celadon, were in vogue during the whole period of Koryo, leaving an excellent tradition to be handed down generation after generation.
Depending on how they are decorated, they are divided into pure celadon porcelains, carved celadon porcelains and inlaid celadon porcelains.
The celadon colour on the background of inlaid celadon porcelains matches well with the carved patterns and the materials of different colours which have been used to fill them in.
A notable aspect of these celadon porcelains is their shapes mirroring the nation’s sentiment, aesthetic feelings, tastes and customs.
The porcelains look flexible and vivid, since most of the lines forming their shapes are curved.
Their shapes are diverse and novel.
In particular, the celadon porcelains inlaid with patterns of creatures look as if the creatures were real, and every one of its elements matches its practical structure.
These porcelains show a delicate blend of colours–blue, green, bluish green and emerald green.
Their decorative patterns have some characteristics in terms of their composition.
These patterns are so delicately composed as to highlight the spaces between them and the contents of decoration, looking as if they were painted carefully to avoid damage to the beautiful colour.
Noted for their diverse skills and optimal principles of thermal engineering involved, Koryo celadon porcelains are treasured by the Korean nation and they occupy an undisputed position in the history of human culture.