Large Goryeo Celadon Inlaid Tile
Goryeo Dynasty, 12th - 13th c. AD, Korea
23.3cm H. x 30.5cm W.
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A thin stoneware rectangular tile with white slip, iron oxide black, and copper red details.
There are three rectangular decorative borders. The outermost is thin, with scrolling leaves in white slip decoration, surrounding a thicker border of scrolling vines with leaves in black and flowers in white slip randomly tinged with copper red. Another thin border of dots and circles encases the central decorative panel with a arabesque cartouche floating in a sky of clouds and cranes. The interior of the cartouche is decorated with white slip flowers, also tinged with copper red, surrounded by iron oxide black stems and leaves. The entire front is covered with pale minty green, finely crackled celadon glaze of ideal color. The back of the tile is unglazed and fired to a russet color.
The piece has 5 long cracks, and two very small patches of glaze loss, all repaired. Koryo Dynasty inlaid celadon tiles are exceedingly rare outside of Korea. They are almost exclusively found in Buddhist temple excavations, indicating that their use was reserved for this purpose. They are usually found cracked due to their extreme thinness.
In a wood and glass viewing case.
There is a piece of similar design in the collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, acquired in 1933, and published in a 1914 Japan Society catalog. Another is in the Cleveland Museum of Art since 1918. The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka has two tiles, including a smaller example published in their 1992 “An Introduction to Koryo Celadon”, pl.80. A fourth example from the Korean National Museum is published in “Sekai Touji Zenshu”, Shogakukan Tokyo, 1978 Vol. 18, pl. 147. Most recently, an example from the same group was accessioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and is nearly identical, except for a central cartouche design of birds in trees.
Provenance:
From a private Japanese collection with Bunkacho export certificate.