A KOREAN SANGGAM SLIP-INLAID CELADON BOWL KORYO DYNASTY

A KOREAN SANGGAM SLIP-INLAID CELADON BOWL

KORYO DYNASTY, 13TH/14TH CENTURY

Decorated to the exterior in white and black slip with chrysanthemum flowerheads in medallions and between concentric lines, the interior with four fruiting branches of lychees and another flowerhead to the centre, with a band of geometric designs underneath the rim, 19.7cm.

Provenance: purchased by the current owner from William Ohly, the Abbey Museum, in 2006.

For other examples of Koryo Dynasty bowls with related decoration, see The Art Institute, Chicago, accession no.1910.22; the University of Michigan Museum of Art, accession no.2004/1.244, and Honolulu Museum of Art, accession 4146.1.

Lychees are a fruit native to Southern China and they were considered a luxury import for the Koryo court.