Joseon white porcelain or Joseon baekja refers to the white porcelain

Porcelain

Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...

s produced during the Joseon dynasty

Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

 (1392-1910).

History

White porcelains were preferred and praised than any other porcelains during the time to represent Korean Confucian ethics such as frugality

Frugality

Frugality is the quality of being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent or economical in the use of consumable resources such as food, time or money, and avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance....

 and pragmatism

Pragmatism

Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition centered on the linking of practice and theory. It describes a process where theory is extracted from practice, and applied back to practice to form what is called intelligent practice...

. In overall, Joseon ceramics undergone numerous transformations during the five hundred year period and is generally divided into three major periods; the early, the middle, and the late period. Although the chronology of Joseon ceramics differs between scholars, three major events affected kiln production; the outcome of the Imjin wars, the establishment of Bunwon (hangul

Hangul

Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

: 분원; hanja

Hanja

Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

: 分院), government-subsided kiln

Kiln

A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...

s at Bunwon-ri, Gwangju

Gwangju

Gwangju is the sixth largest city in South Korea. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister...

 near Seoul

Seoul

Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

 in 1751, and the privatization of Bunwon in 1884. Joseon white porcelains are characterized by the beauty of unpretentious forms, understated decoration, and subtle use of color, reflecting the ideals of Korean Confucian state.

See also

• Blue and white porcelain
• Celadon
  Celadon
  Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. This type of ware was invented in ancient China, such as in the Zhejiang province...
  
  
• Korean pottery and porcelain
  • Buncheong
    Buncheong
    Buncheong ware, or Punch'ong ware is a form of traditional Korean stoneware, with a bluish-green tone. Pots are coated with a white slip, and decorative designs are painted on using an iron pigment. The style emerged in the early Joseon Dynasty, largely replacing celadon in common use...
    
    
• Chinese ceramics
  • Blanc-de-Chine
• Japanese pottery and porcelain
• Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)

External links

• Gallery of Korean Pottery and Porcelain at Korean Overseas Culture and Information Service (KOIS)