The porcelain culture that had developed in East Asia and Europe in modern times was strongly influenced by Chinese porcelain with overglaze decoration. Even though potters in the Joseon Era primarily produced and used blue and white porcelain, litera...
The porcelain culture that had developed in East Asia and Europe in modern times was strongly influenced by Chinese porcelain with overglaze decoration. Even though potters in the Joseon Era primarily produced and used blue and white porcelain, literature and excavated remains from the late Joseon Dynasty have shown that Chinese porcelain with overglaze decoration was indeed introduced and used during the late Joseon Dynasty. During this time, Chinese blue and white porcelain was no longer a highly sought-after item and was not the subject of imitation by Joseon potters, because they were capable of producing high-quality blue and white porcelain. Despite this declining trend, the many potters still used overglaze decoration techniques to make blue and white porcelain. Due to an insufficient number of existing porcelain artifacts and a lack of variety, it is difficult to conduct in-depth research on the overglaze decoration on porcelain circulated and used by the people of the late Joseon Dynasty. Fortunately, the porcelain and Qing porcelain with overglaze decoration used by the Joseon royal family still remain today, helping overcome, to some extent, existing limitations in related research. Generally, the circulation of Chinese porcelain during the Joseon Dynasty is considered to have been a result of the political, economic, and cultural exchange between the two countries during the time. In fact, it is true that the production and the market growth of porcelain had long-since been controlled by the government, but, with the decline of the monarchy in the 19th century, the porcelain market was largely self-maintained through the sales activities of large-scale merchant groups and international trade. In terms of the sale and distribution of porcelain, this is an important factor that distinguishes the 19th century from the 18th century, a time in which the country was quite strict about porcelain production and consumption. Given this distinction, the Chinese porcelain used in the 19th century Joseon Dynasty must have had, different characteristics and introduction paths than porcelain from previous periods. Based on this observation, this study intends to specifically identify the characteristics of porcelain used by the Joseon Royal family in the 19th century.