Korean Ceramics: The Beauty of Natural Forms

The most well-known Korean ceramics are the celadon of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) and the white porcelain of the ensuing Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The celadons of Goryeo, their grace and color tinged with feminine beauty, symbolize an artistocratic Buddhist culture, while the white porcelains from the Joseon are thought to typify a bureaucratic and scholarly Confucian society and are essentially masculine in tone, vigorous and orderly. Korea's traditional ceramic wares serve as a barometer for understanding Korean culture in that they most accurately reflect Korean aesthetics and the Korean worldview.