Korean Celadon Ritual Incense Burner Joseon Dynasty

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An antique Korean ritual incense burner circa 19th century (late Joseon dynasty). This type of porcelain incense burner was made … Read more An antique Korean ritual incense burner circa 19th century (late Joseon dynasty). This type of porcelain incense burner was made in Bunwon Kiln in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Do, near Seoul. Used in ceremonial occasions, the vessel was potted in steady and thick walls and the surface was covered in a whitish celadon glaze. It is of an archaic Chinese form with rounded body and two ears, each pierced with three dots. Interestingly, the cover features groups of cutout trigrams in the shapes of four of the eight Bagua (Palgwae in Korean) symbols that represent Water, Matal, fire and thunder respectively. Despite its vernacular appearance, incense burner like this has a strong religious significance and was believed to be used on the altar table in the Buddhist temple for worshiping.
A nearly identical piece from Philadelphia Museum of Art Accession Number 2000-80-12a,b was featured in a touring exhibition "Treasures from Korea Arts and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty 1392-1910" and illustrated in the catalog of the same name on page 219. See photo.
Another one is in the collection of Virginia Museum of Fine Art, 2016.25a-b. (on view). See last two photos taken by us.
Also illustrated on page 312 in "Korean Art from the Gompertz and Other Collections in the Fritzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (shown in the last two photos). See less