FLATTENED JAR, White porcelain with underglaze iron floral and plant design, With wooden box, Joseon Dynasty（1392–1897CE）
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A flattened jar from the Joseon Dynasty in white porcelain, decorated with underglaze iron floral and foliate motifs.
This Joseon flattened jar features a rounded, full body compressed front to back, with chamfered ridgelines left along the sides. On the front is a floral-and-foliage motif painted in underglaze iron; its pale coloration, as if settled beneath the glaze, appears quietly on the white porcelain surface.
The white glaze has a faint bluish cast and, in places, shows adherent grains of sand, slight glaze wrinkling, and grayish stains. Unlike refined white porcelain, it preserves the variations of firing and the presence of the clay, resulting in a richly textured, characterful surface.
The body catches light differently on each surface, so the view changes when seen from the front, the side, or at an angle. The subtle floral-and-foliage motif, the grains of sand left on the glazed surface, and the way the bevelled facets change their appearance with light and shadow are among this jar’s principal attractions.
There is sand adhering around the foot, and the body, rim, and areas near the foot show old chips, fine cracks, stains, and wear. As seen in the photographs, it bears marks and areas of roughened glaze, yet can be appreciated as an example of the characteristic appearance of long‑preserved Joseon white porcelain.
This flattened jar is equally suited to holding a single sprig of flowers or to standing on its own. It lends a quiet presence to a tea shelf or alcove setting. A wooden storage box is included.
Numerous product photos are available for you to examine the details and condition. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
The aesthetics of the period did not favor surface-level ornamentation or technical prowess but emphasized forms and expressions that quietly supported the inner life of the individual. Objects and furnishings were not merely tools of utility—they might be seen as a kind of dōjō, spaces for self-discipline and reflection. A humble jar placed in a scholar’s study, a plain desk, or an unadorned brush rest were not only objects to be observed but mirrors reflecting one’s posture and thoughts.
It is no coincidence that the crafts of the Joseon period possess a “quiet presence.” These works were created not to impress, but to accompany the human spirit—to breathe with it and to help bring it into balance.
Take white porcelain, for example. Subtle glaze flows, the tremble of clay, slight asymmetries in shape—these so-called “unintentional phenomena” were accepted and even cherished. They reflect a broad-minded sensibility that contrasts sharply with modern ideals of perfection and uniformity. This sensibility questions the boundaries between nature and artifice, beauty and imperfection, object and mind. One could even say it was not just a way of making but an expression of the spirit of the age.
If we were to describe Joseon-era beauty, it is less a “beauty of display” and more a “beauty of resonance.” Not the charm of an object itself, but the way it creates a moment for the viewer to reflect on how to live and how to be. For this reason, the object must not speak too loudly—it must carry emptiness, pauses, and silence within. This kind of thinking seems to run through the very heart of Joseon craftsmanship.
These values would eventually cross the sea and take root deeply in Japan. In the world of chanoyu (the Japanese Way of Tea), Joseon white porcelain and buncheong ware had already begun to be used by the late Momoyama period. Their modest and quiet character offered a contrast to the stately grandeur of Chinese imports. The aesthetic sensibility of “listening to what is unsaid” in tea culture resonated with the silence and imperfection held by Joseon vessels, nurturing a gaze that would eventually find form in the spirit of wabi-sabi.
In modern times, thinkers of the Mingei movement such as Yanagi Sōetsu and Kawai Kanjirō discovered in Joseon crafts “a power that purifies” and “a form of life as it ought to be.” In an age when traditional crafts were being forgotten, these objects were not viewed merely as antiques but as expressions of a way of being—welcomed with profound respect and empathy.
Even now, when I encounter a crafted object from the Joseon period, I find myself moved by its stillness. Within it dwells the spirit of a time that asked how we ought to live and what it means to be—and that quiet voice continues to speak to us, undiminished by time.
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Tax excluded. Import duties may apply. Shipping costs are calculated at checkout.
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