Bowl with floral and abstract motifs and hangeul inscription

Bowl with floral and abstract motifs and hangeul inscription

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The striking, abstract designs on this bowl closely resemble those found on so-called Kraak ware, Chinese export blue-and-white porcelain from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The style is unusual in Korean porcelain. Based on the Korean-character (Hangeul) inscription drilled over the glaze above the foot, we can surmise that this was one of thirty bowls for use at Sunhwa Palace on the occasion of the royal wedding in 1847 of King Heonjong (r. 1834–49) to his formally selected concubine.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bowl with floral and abstract motifs and hangeul inscriptionBowl with floral and abstract motifs and hangeul inscriptionBowl with floral and abstract motifs and hangeul inscriptionBowl with floral and abstract motifs and hangeul inscriptionBowl with floral and abstract motifs and hangeul inscription

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.