<em>Jar with Epitaph Inscription</em>, 19th–early 20th century. Porcelain with light celadon glaze, underglaze, 14 5/8 × 11 7/8 in. (37.2 × 30.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Carroll Family Collection, 2020.18.7 (Photo: Image courtesy of the donor., CUR.2020.18.7_view01.jpg)

Jar with Epitaph Inscription

Medium: Porcelain with light celadon glaze, underglaze

Geograhical Locations:

Dates:19th–early 20th century

Dimensions: 14 5/8 × 11 7/8 in. (37.2 × 30.2 cm)

Collections:

Museum Location: Asian Galleries, South, 2nd floor

Exhibitions:

Accession Number: 2020.18.7

Image: CUR.2020.18.7_view01.jpg,

Catalogue Description:
Funerary jar (ji-seok) with low, rounded rim, swelling shoulders and flat foot, most of the surface covered with a lengthy underglaze inscription (to be read) in Chinese characters. The inscription is incised into the surface and then colored in nearly-black cobalt. It is likely the epitaph for a deceased individual. Although it was common practice to bury epitaphs in tombs, these were usually written on porcelain tablets. There are a few surviving instances of epitaphs written on bowls and jars.

Brooklyn Museum