• Title/Summary/Keyword: 별번(別燔)

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The Characteristics and Background of Gwanyo's Production of White Porcelain with "Byeol(別)" Inscription in 16th and 17th Century Joseon (조선 16~17세기 관요(官窯) '별(別)'명 백자의 성격과 제작 배경)

  • KIM, Kwihan
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.55 no.2
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    • pp.214-230
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    • 2022
  • This paper discusses the characteristics and background of the production of white porcelain with the "Byeol(別)" inscription. Such porcelain was produced by the government-run porcelain kiln, Gwanyo(官窯), in the 16th and 17th centuries (from the 1560s to the 1640s), during the Joseon dynasty. The white porcelain ware, inscribed with either the term Byeol or "jwa(左)" and "u(右)," constituted a dual production system of white porcelain by Gwanyo starting in the 1560s. However, to date, few studies have examined Byeol-inscribed white porcelain. This, therefore, makes it difficult to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of inscriptions on the white porcelain produced by Gwanyo in the 15th to 17th centuries. Besides a regular annual stock of porcelain(年例進上磁器), Gwanyo also produced and supplied additional porcelain ware, or Byeol-gi, at the behest of the royal family or the court of Joseon. Byeol-inscribed white porcelain is a form of Byeol-gi, produced through extra firing, or Byeolbeon(別燔). According to use, Byeol-gi can be categorized as an item for national use(國用) or an item for internal use(內用). However, if the porcelain only carries the "Byeol(別)" inscription, it is difficult to identify its characteristics. Furthermore, as part of the annual production of porcelain was for the supply of Byeol-gi, and then for other purposes, the white porcelain came to be inscribed with dots indicating a change in ownership. In the 16th century, the royal family increased its consumption of white porcelain based on Shinyu Gongan(辛酉貢案), the government's fiscal reform measures. To guarantee a stable supply of exceptional Byeol-gi in light of Gwanyo's decline in the 1560s, the royal family benefited from the inscription of "Byeol." The white porcelain produced by Gwanyo was divided into annual offerings-those with the inscriptions "jwa(左)" and "u(右)"-and Byeol-gi, those with the inscription of "Byeol." They were managed separately from the commencement of production. Byeol-inscribed white porcelain was produced until the 1640s. During the mid-and late 1640s, Byeolbeon was temporarily suspended. Starting in the 1650s, the white clay used to produce the annual stock of white porcelain was sourced from regions other than those providing the clay for Byeol-gi production. The former used clay from Wonju(原州土) and Seosan(瑞山土), while the latter used clay from Gyeongju(慶州土) and Seoncheon(宣川土). According to the literature, the clay from Gyeongju and Seoncheon was much cleaner than that from Wonju and Seosan. Byeolbeon thus underwent a transformation, whereby production was separately managed, right from the stage of white clay mining. Ultimately, the need for the separate management of Byeol-gi through inscriptions diminished, resulting in the disappearance of Byeol-inscribed white porcelain.