BUNCHEONG TSUBO

I guess I should start out by saying that though I have a fair working knowledge regarding Korean pottery my familiarity with modern Korean (South Korean) potters is spotty at best and that extends to the maker of this tsubo Yoo Byung Ho (b.1947). This large and impressive tsubo is a type of mishima slipware popularized during the Joseon Dynasty known as Buncheong ware where in this case, the pot was thrown out of a slightly coarse clay, heavily and almost rustically faceted and then covered in its entirety in what appears to be a simple yet complex stamped decoration before being covered over in a white slip. Once the white slip set up it was scraped off leaving slip in the recessed areas before being glazed in a semi-matt transparent glaze and fired. The result is a tsubo seemingly in perpetual motion with a nearly dizzying movement of pattern and other slip and glaze iterations making for quite an impressive pot in person.

An important dish was presented to her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II that was made by Yoo ByungHo in 1999 which I think attests to the quality of his workmanship and artistry. Coupled with this accolade, this tsubo comes complete with a catalogue from an exhibition held in Japan which prominently illustrates this fine and noble Buncheong tsubo. As I mentioned my working knowledge of the modern South Korean pottery scene isn't 100% but it all boils down to a good pot being just that, a good pot.   좋은 냄비는 좋은 냄비입니다