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Bird Shaped Ewer with Daoist Priest

A work made of stoneware with celadon glaze and underglaze incised decoration.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of stoneware with celadon glaze and underglaze incised decoration.

Date:

Goryeo dynasty (918–1392), 12th century

Artist:

Korea

About this artwork

One of the notable artistic accomplishments of the Goryeo period was the production of sculptural celadon ceramics, such as this ingenious duck-shaped vessel. The duck’s extended tail is swept upwards to form a handle, which supports a human figure holding a bowl that wine would have been poured into, and its beak is fashioned into a spout. The human figure wears a headdress and a flowing robe, indicating that he is a Daoist immortal and suggesting that this ewer was used for ritual or ceremonial purposes. In its carefully rendered details and beautifully translucent color, this vessel is both a technical tour de force and a playfully charming object for admiration and delight.

Status

On View, Gallery 131

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Bird Shaped Ewer with Daoist Priest

Place

Korea (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1100–1199

Medium

Stoneware with celadon glaze and underglaze incised decoration

Dimensions

21.4 × 17.7 × 13.2 cm (8 1/2 × 7 × 5 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Russell Tyson

Reference Number

1964.1213

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/22525/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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