Jar with Dragon and Clouds

Korea

17th century

White porcelain with underglaze iron-brown

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A white porcelain vase decorated with an iron-brown underglaze depicting a dragon amidst swirling clouds. The vase has a wide mouth and tapers towards its base, with visible crackling on the surface. A white porcelain vase decorated with an iron-brown underglaze depicting a dragon amidst swirling clouds. The vase has a wide mouth and tapers towards its base, with visible crackling on the surface. In addition to designs painted in cobalt blue, Korean potters between the 1600s and 1800s produced many porcelain objects decorated with underglaze iron brown-designs. Possibly because cobalt was an expensive material, blue-and-white vessels tend to be carefully painted. In contrast, Korean potters display a remarkable freedom in their iron-brown designs. Here, a dragon with a humorously long snout coils around the swelling sides of thi