Manufacturing and Diffusion of Blue and White Porcelain in the Seventeenth Century of Joseon Dynasty

Abstract

The production of blue-and-white porcelain was temporarily halted during the seventeenth century when the Joseon society underwent war and disorder. This article examines how the production of blue-and-white porcelain was spread during the seventeenth century, and argues that its production was resumed in the mid-seventeenth century and markedly increased in the late seventeenth century.According to previous studies, the use of blue-and-white porcelain became popular in the second quarter of the eighteenth century. However, recent archaeological excavations and textual research show that it was already common among Joseon gentry to use blue-and-white porcelain as their tableware and stationery such as water droppers and brush holders by the late seventeenth century.Furthermore, blue-and-white ‘dragon’ jars also began to be produced from the midseventeenth century. In previous studies, it was argued that blue-and-white ‘dragon’ jars were not produced throughout the seventeenth century. However, this article shows that they began to be made no later than 1640s.The production and consumption of blue-and-white porcelain was spread in the late seventeenth century. It was chronologically divided into two periods in previous scholarship: the earlier period up until the second quarter of the eighteenth century and the later period for the rest of the Joseon Dynasty. However, this study demonstrates that the production and consumption of blue-and-white porcelain fully developed in the second half of the seventeenth century. Therefore, the previous chronology of Joseon blue-and-white porcelain should be reconsidered.