Porcelain Jar With Iron-Brown Underglaze Painting Of A Dragon

Joseon dynasty, 16c
35.7 cm (14 in) height
National Museum of Korea, Seoul

This lively, humorous dragon was painted with underglaze iron on a porcelain body. After the Japanese invasions of the late 16th century, expensive blue cobalt was no longer affordable so potters turned to the use of underglaze iron instead. The iron pigment had to be painted on quickly to avoid being absorbed by the clay, and this resulted in spontaneous and lively designs like the one seen here. A similar design can be seen on a pot in the Gwangju museum.