Tradition
Celadon
China/Korea · 10th century – present
Jade made from earth. The color of heaven.
For a thousand years, potters chased a color that existed only in their imagination.
The color of celadon has been called 'the color of the sky after rain,' 'the green of young bamboo,' 'the gray-green of weathered jade.' It's none of these and all of them—a color that seems to shift with the light, to hold depth like water. Chinese potters developed celadon glazes by the 10th century, seeking to imitate precious jade. Korean potters of the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) took the tradition to unprecedented heights, developing the sanggam technique—carving designs into the clay and filling them with white and black slip before glazing. The result: images of cranes, clouds, and willow trees floating beneath the jade-green surface.
What color would you chase for a thousand years?
Techniques
- Reduction firing
- Iron glaze
- Sanggam inlay
- Carved decoration