Ceramics Saturdays: The Moon Jar

The next couple of entries in Ceramics Saturdays are going to be about Korean ceramics. The moon jar (dalhangari) is one of the most, if not the most, famous of Korean ceramic forms. Thrown all throughout the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the most collectible and prized examples today date from the 18th century, when technique and experience combined to yield the largest and finest vessels. Due to their large scale–they range 18-ish inches tall and 13-15 inches wide–moon jars are typically thrown in halves, bottom and top, which must then be expertly joined. Not only the fitting but also the assembly and firing of a moon jar require extreme skill, as the fine white porcelain buckles and cracks easily at the thinness to which it is worked. Because of the physical strain of throwing them, moon jars were traditionally been made by men. However, some women potters have become famous for the form, chief among them Young Soon Park, the creator of the jar pictured above: her pieces are collected in multiple museums and can fetch upwards of $150K.