Water Ewer for Rituals (Kundika) with Incised Parrot Design
This distinctively shaped celadon vessel is a kundika. With a spout on one side, this type of vessel is often used in Buddhist purification rituals. Unlike most existing examples that have an image of a willow tree, this work has a rare flying phoenix design incised on its surface. During the Goryeo period (918-1392), about 260 kilns operated in mainly Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces, meeting a soaring demand for high-end products like this example.
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Dimensions
- overall: height 0.353 m; outer diameter: width 0.14 m; diameter of cylinder: width 0.013 m; diameter of base: width 0.082 m; diameter of lid: width 0.042 m; diameter of mouth: width 0.035 m
- Department
- Korean Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Gift of John L. Severance
Art Genome Taxonomy
7 tags
Subject Matter
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Animals Both · 94%
A large flying bird is visibly incised on the body; the catalog describes the motif as a phoenix while the title calls it a parrot.
Visual Qualities
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Smooth Surface Visual · 89%
The glazed ceramic surface appears predominantly smooth and gently reflective, with minor wear and uneven coloration.
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Linear Forms Visual · 90%
The bird and smaller vegetal motifs are rendered through fine, shallow linear incisions, and the vessel is structured by strong vertical and horizontal lines.
Time Periods
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1000 - 1400 CE Art Metadata · 99%
The object is dated to the 1100s, which falls within the catalog period category 1000–1400 CE Art.
Geographic Regions
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Korean Art Metadata · 99%
The catalog lists Korean Art as a classification and identifies the place of origin as Korea during the Goryeo dynasty.
Materials
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Ceramic Metadata · 99%
The Cleveland Museum of Art classifies the work as Ceramic and identifies the medium as stoneware with celadon glaze.
Tableware, Vessels, and Objects
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Vessel Both · 99%
The catalog identifies the object as a kundika water ewer, and the image clearly shows a hollow vessel with a neck and side spout.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Water Ewer for Rituals (Kundika) with Incised Parrot Design. Cleveland Museum of Art.