Lot 158A

A few areas of re-touch on the mouth rim, a star crack on the body, a thin hairline crack extended from the mouth rim.


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A private collection, Japan.
Raymond and Victoria Tregaskis Oriental Antiques, Sydney, acquired in Japan in 2011.

As Bright as Moon: Korean Moon Jar (Dal Hangari), 17th/18th Century

Made in the 17th/18th century, during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), by anonymous potters at the Bunwon kilns near Seoul, these vessels served primarily as storage containers and occasionally as vases for monumental floral displays at banquets and ceremonies. Known in Korean as dal hangari -literally "moon jars," the origin of the English name-moon jars have, in modern times, become a symbol of Korean identity and an emblem of national pride, as they were produced exclusively in Korea. Vessels of varied size and shape are often called "moon jars."

Lacking decoration, moon jars rely on tautness of form and the subtle beauty of their glaze for aesthetic appeal. Short, and of similar diameter, the mouths and footrings of these globular jars are comparatively small, resulting in upper and lower halves that are virtually bilaterally symmetrical. While the footring is usually strictly vertical, the short lip is slightly everted in jars from the late seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century.

Constructed in two hemispherical halves, moon jars are formed as two large, identically shaped bowls, each turned on the potter's wheel in porcelain clay. Once dried to the proper state, the halves are stacked rim to rim and joined using a slurry of porcelain clay mixed with a little water. This binds the halves in the raw, unfired state and encourages bonding during firing. At the proper stage of dryness, the footring is cut, the mouth opened, and the lip shaped. When bone dry, the fully shaped jar undergoes bisque firing (??) between 700° and 1000° C. This firing removes any remaining moisture and organic matter, stabilizing the vessel and transforming the soft clay into a hard, durable, porous ceramic body. The glaze slurry is then applied to the entire jar, inside and out, excluding the bottom of the footring to prevent fusion with kiln furniture. The jar is finally subjected to high-temperature firing-typically between 1250° and 1400° C-turning the body into hard, impermeable, translucent white porcelain with a lustrous, transparent glaze.

Given the weight of the two hemispherical halves and the jar's bulging centre, slight deformities often develop during firing. Some jars lean to one side, others show modest protrusions or dimples around the midsection where the halves were joined, and some may sag slightly, with marked distention caused by gravity. These imperfections were neither intended nor corrected, but were embraced by Koreans as intrinsic to the jars' character. While well-formed, well-fired moon jars are highly prized, modern connoisseurs also value natural irregularities-from warping to sagging and bulging-as evidence of the clay's and kiln's "will," giving each jar a distinct personality.

When newly fired, most seventeenth- and eighteenth-century moon jars were white to off-white, with a transparent glaze sometimes tinged sky blue, depending on the kiln atmosphere. Tiny brown or black flecks are often present, caused by impurities in the clay, ash or soot from firing, or subtle variations in the kiln environment. Over time, many eighteenth-century jars developed localized blushes ranging from pink to yellow, caramel, and dark brown. While some jars may originally have held grain or dry materials, most likely contained liquids, including wine, oil, vinegar, or soy sauce. Glaze cracks on the interior could allow liquid to seep and stain the porcelain, creating additional blushes. Apart from colour variations, most jars show signs of wear, including scratches, chips, cracks, and divots. Connoisseurs prize these imperfections as evidence of each jar's history and enduring character.

As functional vessels, moon jars were not traditionally collected as art, and very few survive today. Approximately twenty large jars are believed to exist worldwide. Notable examples include a larger moon jar (45.1 cm in height) sold at Christie's New York on 21 March 2023, lot 177, and another (45cm high) at the same house on 18 March 2025 (lot 333, sold for USD 2,833,000). An almost identical example is held in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (The Samsung Gallery of Korean Art: Korean Art and Design, pp. 71-72, FE.32-1983). Four other large moon jars are in museum collections in the United States: the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (50.1040), Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA (1991.609), Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (B60P110+), and Honolulu Museum of Art (7733.1). Medium-size moon jars (30-40 cm in height) appear in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1979.413.1), Cleveland Museum of Art (1983.28), Art Institute of Chicago (2001.413), Birmingham Museum of Art, AL (2002.4), and the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (F2011.12.4).

Korean potters produced large, globular jars as early as the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC-AD 668), evidenced by third-to-fifth-century low-fired earthenware jars in the National Museum of Korea (Jeung 343), Harvard Art Museums (1988.420), and Metropolitan Museum of Art (1981.401). The creation of the now-iconic moon jar awaited the Joseon dynasty and the rise of porcelain. Following the example of China, which had mastered porcelain in the Tang dynasty (618-907), Korean potters began manufacturing porcelain during the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), as seen in a Goryeo melon-shaped ewer-and-basin set in the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka (no. 00251). White wares were initially overshadowed by celadons.

With the Joseon dynasty's establishment in 1392, royal patronage shifted from celadons to porcelain, reflecting Neo-Confucian ideals and reinforcing porcelain as the preferred ware for palace use. Bunwon kilns near Seoul became the preeminent site for high-quality white porcelain, producing pieces for the royal court and select officials from the mid-1460s until privatization in the 1880s. Although decorated Chinese-style porcelains were made in underglaze cobalt, copper red, and iron brown, Korean taste generally favored undecorated white wares, which embodied purity, integrity, and refinement. The nineteenth-century scholar Yi Gyu'gyeong (1788-1856) noted: "The greatest merit of white porcelain lies in its absolute purity. Any effort to embellish it would only undermine its beauty." White porcelain also symbolized the Confucian gentleman (junzi), akin to the white robes worn by Joseon elites, as seen in Kim Hong-do's early eighteenth-century Portrait of Seo Jiksu (1735-1811) and Yi Myeong'gi in the National Museum of Korea, Seoul (Deoksu 5688, Treasure 1487).

Interest in moon jars grew in the twentieth century. Japanese critic and Mingei founder Yanagi Soetsu (1889-1961), along with contemporaries Kawai Kanjiro, Hamada Shoji, and Bernard Leach, first promoted Joseon porcelains internationally. In Korea, painter Kim Whanki (1913-1974) collected moon jars, incorporating them into his representational and later abstract works. His peers, including To Sangbong (1902-1977), followed suit. Kim and his circle coined the term dal hangari, distinguishing these jars from earlier, generic terms such as keun hangari or Chinese-style daeho, wonho, or daegwan.

Moon jars, as uniquely Korean creations, became potent symbols of national identity, particularly in the mid-twentieth century following Japanese colonization and the Korean War. Contemporary potters such as Park Young Sook (b. 1947), Park Boo Won (b. 1938), Kwon Daesup (b. 1952), Lee Dongsik, and Kim Seyong (b. 1946) continue to recreate the form. Artists like Choi Young Wook (b. 1964) produce hyperrealistic depictions, while Kang Ikjoong (b. 1960) incorporates moon jars into symbolic compositions. The form has been adapted widely, from modern painting to the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics cauldron design by Kim Youngse (b. 1950), and is celebrated even in contemporary popular culture, as evidenced by BTS leader Kim Nam Joon (RM, b. 1994) embracing a moon jar by Kwon Daesup.

Early Choson white porcelains are rare, prized for their snow-white color and soft blue tones. Scholar-official culture, strongly influenced by China, demanded austerity, ritual propriety, and elegance, reflected in the ceramics used for Confucian ceremonies, court life, and domestic practice. Fifteenth-century ceramic experimentation included sourcing native cobalt for underglaze blue decoration. Despite hardships from the Japanese invasions of the 1590s and economic depression, production resumed by the early eighteenth century, with royal kilns at Punwon-ni serving as centers of excellence. Surviving seventeenth- and eighteenth-century jars exemplify Korea's preference for plain, undecorated forms, sometimes revealing irregular oval profiles, central seams, or glaze pooling, all contributing to the jars' character.

The enduring allure of these moon jars reflects Korea's ongoing negotiation of national identity. Balancing historical significance with contemporary taste, appreciated locally and internationally in both fine art and popular culture, moon jars have become one of the rare works of art to transcend cultural boundaries and achieve iconic status as a symbol of Korea.

皎若明月：韓國月亮罐（Dal Hangari, 달항아리），十七至十八世紀

此月亮罐製於朝鮮王朝（1392–1910）十七至十八世紀，由首爾附近的分院（Bunwon）窯口不知名的陶工燒製。這些器物主要用作儲存容器，有時也作為宴會與典禮中大型花藝陳設的花瓶。韓語稱為dal hangari（달항아리），直譯即「月亮罐」，英文名稱亦源自此。月亮罐如今已成為韓國身份象徵，代表韓國獨有的美學價值。不同尺寸和形制的器物通常統稱為「月亮罐」。

月亮罐無裝飾，其美感主要依賴造型的張力與釉色的細膩。器口與足座較短且直徑相近，使上、下半部幾乎呈雙側對稱。足座通常垂直，而十七世紀末至十八世紀上半期的月亮罐口唇略外翻。

月亮罐由兩個半球形部分構成，每半球在陶輪上以瓷土製作成大碗形。待半球乾至適當狀態後，將其口緣對口堆疊，用少量水調和的瓷土漿糊連接，使其在生坯狀態下結合並利於燒製時融合。乾燥至適當程度後，切削足座、開口並整形口唇。待全乾後，進行700°至1000°C的素燒（bisque firing，素燒），以去除水分與有機物，使軟陶轉化為堅硬、耐用且多孔的陶體。接著施釉於內外全器，唯底足不施釉以防燒結於窯具上。最終高溫燒成，通常介於1250°至1400°C，使器身轉為堅硬、不透水、半透明白瓷，釉面光潤透明。

由於兩半球的重量及器身鼓起的造型，燒成時常出現輕微變形。例如稍側傾、中段接合處有微凸或凹陷，或因重力下垂而呈現明顯鼓起。此類不規則並非刻意，而被朝鮮人視為器物特質的一部分。雖然造型完整、燒製精良的月亮罐受人珍視，現代藏家亦欣賞天然不規則性，如彎曲、下垂或鼓起，視為陶土與窯爐的「意志」，賦予每件月亮罐獨特個性。

十七至十八世紀月亮罐初燒時多呈白色或乳白色，釉色透明，有時因窯爐氣氛呈現淡藍色。釉面上常有微小褐色或黑色斑點，源於陶土雜質、燒製時的灰燼或煤煙，以及窯爐氣氛細微變化。隨著時間推移，許多十八世紀月亮罐局部呈現從粉紅、黃色、焦糖到深褐的色暈。部分月亮罐可能原用於儲存穀物或乾物，多數則盛放液體，如酒、油、醋或醬油。內釉裂紋可能使液體滲入，形成色暈。除色澤變化外，多數月亮罐還可見磨損、刮痕、崩口、裂紋及凹痕。藏家珍視這些痕跡，視為器物歷史與持久特質的證據。

作為實用器具，月亮罐傳統上並不被收藏為藝術品，現存數量極少。全球大型月亮罐約二十件。知名拍品包括2023年3月21日佳士得紐約拍出的高45.1公分月亮罐（lot 177），及2025年3月18日同拍賣行的另一件（lot 333，45公分高， 成交價：2,833,000美金）。倫敦維多利亞與艾伯特博物館藏有近似月亮罐（The Samsung Gallery of Korean Art: Korean Art and Design, pp. 71–72, FE.32-1983）。美國則有四件大型月亮罐收藏於：波士頓美術館（50.1040）、哈佛藝術博物館（1991.609）、舊金山亞洲藝術博物館（B60P110+）及檀香山藝術博物館（7733.1）。中型月亮罐（30–40公分）收藏於紐約大都會藝術博物館（1979.413.1）、克里夫蘭美術館（1983.28）、芝加哥藝術學院（2001.413）、阿拉巴馬伯明翰美術館（2002.4）及舊金山亞洲藝術博物館（F2011.12.4）。

韓國早在三國時代（西元前57年至西元668年）即生產大型圓罐，現存低溫陶器見於國立中央博物館（Jeung 343）、哈佛藝術博物館（1988.420）及大都會藝術博物館（1981.401）。然現代經典月亮罐的形成則需等待朝鮮王朝及瓷器興起。遵循唐代中國的技法，韓國在高麗時代（918–1392）已開始製瓷，如大阪東洋陶瓷美術館藏高麗瓜形壺盆組（00251號）。白瓷初期曾被青瓷掩蓋。

朝鮮建國後，皇家扶持由青瓷轉向瓷器，體現儒家理想，將瓷器定為宮廷首選。首爾附近的分院窯成為高品質白瓷生產中心，自1460年代中期至1880年代私有化，為王室及高官製作瓷品。雖偶有中國式彩繪作品，但朝鮮人偏好純白無紋，象徵純潔、端正與內斂。十九世紀學者李圭景（1788–1856）曾言：「白瓷最大美德在於其絕對純淨，任何裝飾只會破壞其美。」白瓷亦象徵儒家君子（junzi），如朝鮮士大夫白衣所示，見於金弘道的《徐直修肖像》（1735–1811）及李明基（國立中央博物館，德壽5688，寶物1487）。

二十世紀月亮罐的國際關注始於日本評論家、民藝運動創始人柳宗悅（1889–1961）及其同時代的藝術家-- 河井寬次郎、濱田庄司與伯納德·里奇。在韓國，畫家金煥基（1913–1974）首識月亮罐之美，開始收藏並在1940–1950年代以寫實手法描繪韓國景物、月亮及月亮罐。其同行都相鳳（1902–1977）亦以月亮罐為題，或作花瓶，或作藝術陳設。金氏與其圈子創造「달항아리」（dal hangari）一詞，區別於早期通稱大罐（큰 항아리）或中國式名稱大壺、元壺、大罐。

月亮罐作為獨特韓國創作，成為民族象徵，尤其在日本殖民及韓戰後更具意義。當代陶工如朴英淑（1947–）、朴武元（1938–）、權大壽（1952–）、李東植、金世永（1946–）持續重現其造型。藝術家崔永旭（1964–）與姜益中（1960–）分別將月亮罐融入超寫實及象徵畫作，2018平昌冬奧火炬亦取月亮罐造型。流行文化中，BTS隊長金南俊（RM，1994–）亦曾擁抱權大壽製月亮罐，表達個人情感。

早期朝鮮白瓷珍稀，因雪白色與淡藍色調而受重視。士大夫文化深受中國影響，講求簡樸、禮制與雅致，此在宮廷、儒教典禮及日常器物中可見。即便1590年代日寇入侵及經濟衰退，至十八世紀初生產恢復，分院窯成為優秀中心。現存十七、十八世紀月亮罐展現韓國對素雅無紋造型的偏好，有時呈現橢圓不規則、中央接縫或釉色堆積，均增添器物特質。

月亮罐的持久魅力反映韓國對民族認同的持續探索。歷史價值與當代品味兼具，受國內外藝術界與流行文化推崇，月亮罐是少數跨越文化邊界並成為韓國象徵的藝術品之一。