SILLA PEDESTAL BOWL (Korea)

(October 1997)

PEDESTAL BOWL WITH COVER. (56K) Gray-black stoneware. Silla Period, Korea (ca. AD 450-550).

DESCRIPTION

The mounted gray-black stoneware bowl, with or without a lid, is one of the most common Silla pottery types. These bowls have openings on the high foot which narrows under the bowl from a broad base. This particular example has three triangular holes at the bottom of the foot. Three rows of concentric diagonal lines decorate the top of the lid below a small cup-shaped knob. The lid may not be the original cover for this particular bowl.

The pierced support allowed food in the bowl to be readily heated on a fire after the bowl had been filled. The bowl could then be quickly placed on the table while the food was still hot. The cover may have been inverted to serve as another bowl, the knob becoming either the foot or, if held in the palm of the hand, a steadying device.

THE SILLA PERIOD

According to legend, the kingdom of Silla was founded in the year 57 BC in the Chinhan area in southeast Korea. The kingdom of Koguryo was established in northern Korea in 37 BC and the kingdom of Paekche in southwest Korea in 18 BC The next 500 years comprise the period of the Three Kingdoms, which constantly squabbled among themselves. At last, in the late 7th century, the kingdoms of Paekche and Koguryo came under the control of Silla and the country was united. The unification of the peninsula of Korea lasted until the middle of the 10th century, when the final king of Silla surrendered to the ruler of the warring independent state of Koryo, from which the name "Korea" may have been derived.

THE TOMBS OF KYONGJU

Large hemispherical burial mounds of earth and stone were made for deceased Silla kings; smaller ones entombed the Silla aristocracy. In 1921, these important stone-lined tombs were discovered in the Kyongju area in southeast Korea. Fifth and sixth century Silla burial items of high quality were recovered from the burial chambers in great quantity, including as well fine gold and jade objects worn by the deceased. Among the impressive funerary goods belonging to the Silla aristocracy was a quantity of pottery such as this pedestal bowl. Such gray-black pottery was even found in the more modest tombs. In this way, the deceased believed they could enjoy sumptuous dinners in the afterworld just as they had in life.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SILLA POTTERY

The characteristic pottery of Silla and Kaya (a small federation of five principalities) is a high-fired gray stoneware. This hard pottery was fired in a kiln at a temperature of about 1200-1300 degrees Celsius. Typical shapes include bowls and jars on high stands with rectangular or triangular openings. The pottery was mainly produced in Kyongsang province, where the Naktong River divides Silla sites to the east of the river from Kaya sites to the west.

"Silla Period" earthenware can be dated by four phases, occurring between AD 200 and 650. Pottery styles changed slightly during this time. In Phase III (AD 450-550), the bases became smaller and seemed more fragile compared with the cups, which were shallower. Accordingly, the style of this particular bowl suggests that it falls within this third phase.

Also to be noted are the developments of pottery during the later "Unified Silla Period" (AD 675-950), when the earlier "Silla" vessels were judged impractical. There seems to have been the following three stages:

• In Phase I the vessels with a long neck, pedestal cups, and stands disappeared.
• In Phase II new shapes, such as boxes with lids, bowls with stands, dishes, and cups, all with stable bases, emerged.
• In Phase III lead glazed earthenwares with lovely shades of yellow and green were produced.

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