Dragon Jar

late 19th century

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Object Label

This large jar is a late variant of the dragon jars that were used in courtly settings to hold large flower arrangements. The shape of the jar and the motif of the dragon amid clouds both originated in China, but the loose, spirited drawing, minimum of extraneous decoration, and grayish cobalt color combine to identify this as a Korean piece.

Caption

Dragon Jar, late 19th century. Porcelain with cobalt decoration under glaze, 20 x 13in. (50.8 x 33cm) Diameter at mouth: 6 11/16 in. (17 cm) Diameter at base: 7 1/2 in. (19 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Stanley L. Wallace, 80.120.1. Creative Commons-BY

Title

Dragon Jar

Date

late 19th century

Dynasty

Joseon Dynasty

Geography

Place made: Korea

Medium

Porcelain with cobalt decoration under glaze

Classification

Ceramic

Dimensions

20 x 13in. (50.8 x 33cm) Diameter at mouth: 6 11/16 in. (17 cm) Diameter at base: 7 1/2 in. (19 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Stanley L. Wallace

Accession Number

80.120.1

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

Frequent Art Questions

  • What is this?

    That's a jar from the Korean Joseon Dynasty. The decoration is of a blue and white dragon. Dragons played an important role in court rituals during the Joseon period, and represented the absolute authority of the king.
    Dragon jars like this would be displayed at banquets, and used to hold flowers.

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