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Maebyong: OC.90-1946

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Current Location: Gallery 29 - Korean Gallery

Titles

Maebyong

Maker(s)

Pottery: Unknown (Probably)

Entities

Categories

Description

Vase with peony designs. Stoneware, thrown, painted in iron-oxide and celadon-glazed. The short neck of this maebyong-shaped vase has a narrow projecting rim, the body expands at the shoulder and gradually narrows towards the base. The footring is low. The decoration is painted in dark brown iron-oxide and consists of a band of stylised chrysanthemum petals round the shoulder, a broad plain band round the base, and an overall peony scroll between, with fully-opened blooms and vigorous scrolling foliage. The glaze has a brownish-green tinge but is predominantly green and glossy, as seldom seen on vessels decorated in underglaze-brown. Sand adheres to the base. The rim has two kintsugi repairs of silver over red lacquer; the silver tarnished to dark grey.

Legal notes

Oscar C. Raphael Bequest, 1941

Measurements and weight

Height: 27 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1941) by Raphael, Oscar C.

Dating

Koryo Dynasty
12th Century
1100 CE - 1200 CE

Note

This shape is typical of twelfth-century maebyong painted in iron (ch'olhwa). It was probably used for plum blossom or ginseng wine. Some examples have been found with lids. Sherds of such iron-painted celadon have been excavated at the Kyeyul-ri kiln site in Kangjin-gun, South Cholla province.

Components of the work

Rim composed of lacquer ( Two large kintsugi repairs of red lacquer covered by powdered(?) silver metal) silver ( Two large kintsugi repairs of red lacquer covered by powdered(?) silver metal) Diameter 5.7 cm
Glaze composed of celadon glaze
Paint composed of iron-oxide
Foot Diameter 8.7 cm
Decoration

Materials used in production

Stoneware

Techniques used in production

Throwing : Stoneware, thrown, painted in iron-oxide, and celadon-glazed
Glazing (coating)

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: OC.90-1946
Primary reference Number: 16255

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 10 October 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Maebyong" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/16255 Accessed: 2025-12-07 19:59:02

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/16255 |title=Maebyong |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-07 19:59:02|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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