The past few years have seen a major boom in Korean culture, with the country exporting its musicians, television, and movies to audiences overseas to great success. It should come as no surprise that in the auction space Korean art has performed strongly.
While the growth of Seoul Auction and the popularity of Korean art at large are indicators of this rise in popularity of Korean art, moon jars, in particular, have been a been a major draw for bidders.
Originating in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), moon jars became a popular item on the auction floor when, in 2023, Christie’s New York sold one for US$4.56 million, setting an auction record for Korean porcelain. This interest in moon jars continues to persist, with Christie’s New York selling another one this past Asian Art Week for US$2.83 million, drawing much interest even with a slightly damaged surface, at its Japanese and Korean Art Sale during Asia Week New York.
What drives interest in these works, and where can we trace their historical and cultural origins? In many ways, these works are embodiments of Korea’s dynastic period that continue to reverberate and impact contemporary Korean art, and the fact that three out of the twenty surviving moon jars are national treasures further enforces this status.
Lot 333 | An Important White Porcelain Moon Jar
Crica Joseon Dynasty, 18th century
45 x 45.5 cm
Provenance:
- Private Collection, Japan
Estimate: US$1,800,000 - 2,500,000
Hammer US$2,300,000
Sold: US$2,833,000
Auction House: Christie's New York
Sale: Japanese and Korean Art
Date: 18 March 2025
The origins of Korean ceramics and pottery making can be found during the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) when wood-fired kiln technology was imported from China. This period of moon jars is referred to as the Celadon moon jars and was distinct from the Joseon-era jars because of the temperatures the ceramics were fired at and the usage of certain Korea-specific motifs.
When the Joseon dynasty came into power, ceramics underwent a period of change that included the moon jar just sold by Christie’s. It's important to note that while Korea generally had major cultural influences from China, moon jars are relatively unique to the peninsula. The Joseon period saw the introduction of the Buncheong moon jars, which had more flamboyant and dense designs, and blue and white moon jars, which used blue coloring, one of which was presented to former President Reagan as a gift.
However, to be officially designated as a proper Joseon dynasty moon jar by the Korean Cultural Heritage Service, it has to be spherical, 40 cm tall, unornamented, and glazed in white, criteria that other ceramics sometimes classified as moon jars do not meet.
This lack of design or decoration on the surface of the moon jar is in fact its defining feature. The quality of the glaze and its spherical symmetry are what is prized, with there being variations regarding the jar’s lip depending on when it was made. The slit everting, or bend, on the lip of this pot suggests that it could be from the first half of the 18th century, while a straight lip would’ve meant it was from the second half.
A Goryeo dynasty ceramic. Note its blue-tinted hue, long top neck, and the designs, factors that separate it from Joseon dynasty designs
The lot that was just sold. Note its simplicity in both design and color, as well as the non-existent neck and everted lip
Important in the process of producing the white color of the glaze was ensuring that there was no iron in the clay. Additionally, the kiln needed to be fired at an extremely high temperature of at least 1,300 Celsius. While it is not difficult to achieve this with modern technology and controls, without them, craftsmen would need to manually adjust and approximate temperature and add wood as needed.
Interestingly, the temperature requirements and technical needs of kilns would dictate where production centers could be formed. This specific lot was made at the Bunwon kilns in Gwangju, Gyeonggi province, an area southeast of Seoul. The Bunwon kilns were noted for being the finest producers of white wares for the royal court at the time, something dictated by their proximity to quality clay deposits and firewood.
Moon jars were named as such due to their shape matching the full moon, and they were only produced for about 200 years towards the later stages of the Joseon dynasty. While praised and desired for their white color, for practical reasons this was not always attainable. While high-quality clay was needed, this did not always mean the clay was perfect, as impurities or difficulties in controlling heat would lead to yellow defects. This could also be caused by the liquid placed in the jar; many were used to hold flowers, or oxidation over time.
The large size of these pots also meant that it would be difficult to produce them in one go, meaning that they were actually made in two halves that would be joined together. Where the two halves meet can usually be identified by the single line that dashes across the center of the jar.
An Important White Porcelain Moon Jar | Sold by Christie's New York for US$4.56 million, March 2023 | The most expensive moon jar ever sold at auction
A blue and white porcelain jar from the Joseon dynasty, 18th century | National Museum of Korea | Unlike in China where white porcelains needed to be monochrome, in Korea a jar like this would classify as white porcelain
While the moon jars are a highly unique form of pottery to Korea, their popularity and design philosophy can possibly be found in Chinese culture and the diffusion of Chinese ideas into Korea. The Joseon dynasty was a tributary state of both the Ming and Qing dynasties and received cultural influence from them, especially regarding Confucianism.
Joseon scholars and court members were keen followers of neo-Confucianism in particular, which originated in the Song dynasty. A value of Confucianism was “restraint” and being in control of one's thoughts, feelings, and emotions. As such, the perfectly subdued and simplistic design of moon jars was a favorite of the philosophy’s adherents.
It speaks to a certain tranquility that the moon jar exuded to certain owners, and this became heightened during the fall of the Ming dynasty and the rise of the Manchu-ruled Qing. The flashy and colorful ceramics of the Qing were rejected heavily by the Korean upper class, meaning that they moved to further develop their moon jars in their own distinct fashion.
These moon jars have since remained an integral part of Korea’s art culture, with them continuing to influence modern artists.
Gyeongbokgung, a former royal palace in Seoul featuring rank stones that denoted the positions of various officials, is an example of Confucian influence in Korea
Whanki Kim (1912-1974) | Immortal Crane and Vase (1950), oil on canvas | Sold for US$159,157 by Sotheby's Hong Kong, October, 2014
In a video for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, famed Korean artist Lee Ulfan (b. 1936) once called a moon jar he saw as having “a magical sense to it.” He enjoyed how the moon jar wasn’t perfectly symmetrical, nor that it lacked the prized white, instead calling it “off-white” with tinges of various other earthy colors. Lee then questions whether the craftsman who made the jar made these imperfections on purpose and exclaims how even with imperfections the artist didn’t care and he was simply ok with it.
When comparing the moon jars to Chinese and Japanese pottery from the same period, Lee states both countries were too concerned with achieving perfection and that in the case of Chinese ceramics, it was “unreal.” To him, the Korean artists who were making moon jars at the time intentionally strove to achieve imperfection and reflect the imperfect nature of the human experience.
Lee connects this with his art, which is full of these simple shapes and strokes as capturing the totality of the art, imperfections and all, and not letting one perfect stroke or line in a painting dominate one's entire perception of what it should be.
Lee Ulfan commentating on a moon jar for a video by The MET in 2016