A flat teabowl of Buncheong ware, fired during the early Joseon dynasty. The bowl belongs to the group commonly known in Japan as Mujihakeme (“plain brushed-slip type”), and associated in Korea with Dumbung or Dumbeong, the technique of immersing the vessel in white slip. In the present example, the slip covers the interior and upper portion of the vessel without further decoration. As very little slip is present on the exterior, the method of application was likely carried out in two stages: the interior was first coated by pouring in the slip, after which the bowl was inverted and the rim lightly dipped to create the shallow band of white around the mouth.

Along the outer rim, the white slip has dripped and scattered irregularly, leaving traces that resemble droplets of white against the exposed clay body and lending the vessel an unexpected lightness and playfulness. Within the well, layers of staining accumulated through long use have settled into the surface, so that the years spent in the tea room have themselves become the bowl’s most eloquent landscape.

Two hairlines extend from the rim, and areas of glaze loss can be observed throughout. These are, however, old and well integrated into the surface, forming part of the character of the piece rather than detracting from it. The bowl is accompanied by a shifuku storage pouch and housed in an old wooden box.