The Design and Characteristics of White Porcelain Vessels for Royal Marriage Ceremonies in Late Chosŏn: porcelain jar with dragon design in underglaze cobalt blue with inscription of chŏnjiugimssijason(傳之于金氏子孫) at the British Museum

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the designs of <i>chujun</i>(rice wine jar) and <i>hwajun</i>(flower vase), white porcelain vessels used in Chosŏn’s royal marriage ceremonies, and to identify how their use differed according to the status of the person being married. Furthermore, I propose the circumstances under which the <i>paekchayongjun</i>(white porcelain jar with dragon design) stored at the British Museum was produced. <i>paekchach’ŏnghwajuhae</i>, a type of white porcelain jar for rice wine with decoration of dragons in underglaze cobalt blue, stands out among white porcelain vessels used in royal marriages as it was reserved for the king or the crown prince. Those made in late Chosŏn are taller than fifty centimeters in height and decorated with a design of two dragons with five toenails, foliage patterns around the mouth, palm leaf patterns around the shoulders, and lotus petal patterns at the bottom. Originally, the use of blue and white porcelain had not been granted for the marriage of princes and princesses who were not heirs to the throne, but <i>ch’ŏnghwayonghwajun</i>, a type of white porcelain jar with the decoration of dragons in underglaze cobalt blue was permitted as flower vases in the early eighteenth century(1721-1753). However, as King Yŏngjo increasingly advocated frugality, <i>ch’ŏnghwayonghwajuns</i> were replaced with simple white porcelain in 1764, marking the latest date for <i>ch’ŏnghwayonghwajuns</i>. The surviving examples of <i>ch’ŏnghwayonghwajun</i> are almost identical in pattern to paekchach’ŏnghwajuhaes, but are smaller in size — about thirty centimeters tall — and the dragons only have four toenails. Based on evidences, I propose that the jar stored at the British Museum was likely used at the wedding of Princess Hwasun and Kim Hanshin in 1732, the eighth year of King Yŏngjo’s reign. This vessel likely represents the King’s wishes for the birth of grandchildren by the princess, and was inherited by her descendants, Kim I-ju, Kim Noyŏng, Kim Nogyŏng, and Kim Jŏnghŭi.