EXQUISITE MUSEUM QUALITY ANTIQUE KOREAN FACETED VASE

Joseon Dynasty (1700s)

Rare and important Korean porcelain bottle vase of the most impeccable quality. Hand decorated with sublime cobalt branches of young bamboo, arching gracefully over the faceted milky white surface. The vase stands upon an elegantly carved raised foot, indicating that this vase was produced for an imperial patron by the royal Bunwon kilns. Blue and white Joseon vases of this exceptional quality are exceedingly rare, and most are held by museums. Similar pieces have occasionally come to auction, including the following:

A KOREAN BLUE AND WHITE FACETED BOTTLE VASE
JOSEON DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY Sold By Sotheby's on March 19, 2013 In New York for $161,000

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/chinese-works-of-art-n08974/lot.50.html

This bottle vase offered by Christie's has a rarely seen raised foot that is similar to our offering. Auction estimate $220,000 to $280,000

https://www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/03042009/111413.pdf

The minimalism of the painted design and the abundance of white space are among the features that distinguished Korean blue-and-white porcelain from  contemporary equivalents in China, Japan, and Europe. There is a unique and most tasteful beauty in the purity of this elegant vase, and it well represents the finest Korean porcelain that we have ever seen, including in books or museums.

The subtlety is balanced with a strong and handsome faceted form. The unctuous white surface is most tactilely pleasing with slight variations in thickness as the viscous glaze ran over the surface prior to firing. This further adds understated depth to the surface. The cobalt-blue of the finest Korean porcelain wares typically is a pale, almost silvery, blue, as seen on this sophisticated bottle vase. The harmonious combination of all the details is transcendent.

This rare treasure measures approximately 7.75 inches tall and 5.75 inches wide. In pristine antique condition with minute age related iron pinpoints and the traditional kiln detritus of the era on the underside of the feet. Superbly represents the epitome of the Korean Joseon aesthetic, so appreciated by the literati of that time. Exhibits a quiet depth that can only be experienced in person. A superlative example of Asian life and expression, and an exquisite centerpiece for the most discriminating connoisseur of world class Korean antiques, or for museum acquisition.