- Ceramics -

punch'ong

punch'ong is the abbreviation of paekto punch'ong huich'on jagi(white clay powdered grey-blue porcelain)which means coating white clay on the surface of grey celadon for the effect of edcoration. It was a pottery produced enormously in the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries in the first half of the Choson period. Therefore, from the aspect of literal meaning, the incised punch'ong which was evolved from the koryo period incised celadon would not be included, but generally punch'ong derived from koryo celadon is also included in this category.

Punch'ong can be divided into the following types:incised punch'ong stamped punch'ong, coated punch'ong, engraved punch'ong and ironglazed into two:one is the type of incesed technique;the other is the coated type to apply ornament after coating white clay. These two types have different characteristics. At first, the incised, and was made by a high firing technique, and had the feeling of koryo incised celadon. On the other hand, the coated type of punch'ong used coarse clays and was made by the low firing technique, and does not have the flavor of koryo celadon.
The other differences lie in the following aspects:the incised type has similar ahapes in the whole country, and seems to be made rigidly under inspection for the upper classes. Since it was often purchased by government offices; the coated type has the diverse shapes exhibiting provincial traits, and was made for the ordinary people because it was rarly purchased by government offices. 

The prevailing period also displayed the difference between those two types. The incised types was popular in the fifteenth century, and the coated type was popular in the sixteenth century. Therefore, it seems that the incised punch'ong type started in the fifteenth century and continued in the sixteenth century as the coated type, and eventually vanished in the late sixteenth century.

The incised punch'ong type has the flavor of koryo incised celadon which was changed in the Choson period. The incised punch'ong type can be divided into two types again such as liner incised punch'ong and plain incised punch'ong. The latter changed from an elaborate and calm design of incised celadon into a bold and vigorous design, Meanwhile the stamped punch'ong shows the technique of stamping the seals repeatedly, and filling white clay in the engraved areas. This kind of incised method represents quite different taste in design from that of traditional celadon. This ornamental method is required to have technical maturity and much endeavors so that in most cases the products are high-grade articles. Among the many punch'ong wares purchased by government offices the stamped punch'on occupied the major portion. This fact suggests that the stamped punch'ong was a high -grade ware, and used only by high-class people.

On the other hand, the punch'ong of incised lines through the white slip in the coated type is easily divided into kinds such as the carved ornament punch'ong which carved ornaments in lines after being covering white clay, and the punch'ong which scratched in planes to reveal the color of clay. However, sometimes these two techniques are used in a mixed style. The punch'ong of incised lines through the white slip shows a different color from that previous incised punch'ong, and its active shape and liberal arrangement and composition well exhibit the characteristic of punch'ong
Iron-glazed punch'ong is made of painting ornaments with iron oxide above the white-clayed surface of a vessel. The ornaments a painted with black pigment above the white clay cast a strong impression, and the lines of ornaments which was done in a vigorous and fastmanner gives an effect of aliveness.  

Besides these kinds punch'ong wares is the punch'ong coated with white slip which can be divided into two different types, the Guiyal punch'ong and Dumbung punch'ong. The former is made by plastering quickly white clay by a brush made from the Guiyal plant so that the various thicknesses of white clay produced the ornamintation. The latter is done by coating white clay all over the surface after soaking in water dissolved with white clay.

Nonetheless, the cause of extinction in the late sixteenth century in the trend of mass production is still unclear. The wide spread of white porcelain in the middle of the fifteenth century, and the world movement of change from celacon to white porcelain through the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and the world movement of change from celadon to white porcelain through the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries could be some of the reasons for extinction. The movement of changing color of punch'ong surface to white like the case of white porcelain would be understood as the same direction. The other interpretation is the popularity of brass ware from the sixteenth century diminished its usage.

Under any circumstances, its is obvious that the punch'ong's beauty of design is unique in the history of world pottery snd creative activity of the Choson period.

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