A Korean blue and white porcelain vase
Possibly 20th century
Appears unmarked
The bottle-form vessel, decorated in a blue and green underglaze with "hwahwe yungmohwa" motifs of bamboo, flowers, water, and birds on a white glazed ground
20.5" H x 9.5" Dia.
Provenance: Property of an Important New York Corporate Collection

Notes: The production of blue-and-white wares began in Korea around the mid-fifteenth century, the result of influence from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) wares of China. In the early Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), the Koreans had to import ore from China to make cobalt blue. The first reference to a blue-and-white ware made using Korean ore comes from the annals of King Sejoís reign (1455-68), which tells of cobalt ore being discovered at Sunchíun, a region in the extreme south of the peninsula, in the ìeighth month of 1464." The king was then presented with a porcelain decorated in blue from this native source.

Blue-and-white wares were mainly used in the Korean court and the households of the upper class during ancestral rites, but they were also used as utilitarian kitchenware and tableware. On the pieces destined for the royal household, the underglaze blue decoration was executed by professional court painters. Images of plants, flowers, birds, and animals constitute one of the painting genres, known as hwahwe yungmohwa, borrowed from the traditional repertoire of literati painting.

Overall good condition with shelf wear, scattered minor scuffs, scratches, and inherent firing flaws commensurate with age. Variations in glaze color throughout, likely due to firing method. Pinholing throughout, heaviest at the base of the neck. Some chipping to the white glaze at the foot. One large reverse c-shaped crack to the body, approximately 4.5" long. No evidence of repairs or restorations under blacklight. Condition reports are offered as a courtesy and are typically published in Moran's catalogue or can be made available upon request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of others. Buyers are responsible for determining to their own satisfaction the true nature and condition of any lot prior to bidding. Though buyers are not legally required to inspect lots prior to purchase, failure to do so may constitute a waiver of complaint that an item was not delivered in a condition equal to the existent condition at the auction.