Ewer
1 of 5
Object Label
Gourds and melons were popular motifs in East Asian design because their many seeds were associated with fertility and abundance. Both of these vessels have handles that reference the twisting vines of gourd and melon plants, with small tendril-like loops at the top where a string or chain would have attached the handle to a ceramic lid. Both original lids are now missing; the melon-shaped ewer has a wood replacement. Both ewers are decorated with lotus flowers, symbols of spiritual transcendence because lotuses rise above their lowly origin (pond water) to bloom in glorious color.
Caption
Ewer, 12th century. Porcelaneous stoneware with celadon glaze, Height: 11 13/16 in. (30 cm) Diameter at mouth: 3/16 in. (0.5 cm) Diameter at base: 4 in. (10.2 cm) Width: 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund, 57.141. Creative Commons-BY
Collection
Collection
Title
Ewer
Date
12th century
Dynasty
Goryeo Dynasty
Geography
Place made: Korea
Medium
Porcelaneous stoneware with celadon glaze
Classification
Dimensions
Height: 11 13/16 in. (30 cm) Diameter at mouth: 3/16 in. (0.5 cm) Diameter at base: 4 in. (10.2 cm) Width: 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Collection Fund
Accession Number
57.141
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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