Large Bowl-Type Pedestal Stand with Abstract and Openwork Décor
5th-6th century
Description
This large stand for a round-bottomed jar resembles a large pedestal bowl. The stand's upper, bowl-shaped portion has straight, V-shaped walls, a flat floor, and a lightly articulated lip; the lower, pedestal portion is hollow and has steeply inclined, almost vertically oriented, walls. The bowl and pedestal portions are roughly equal in height. The pedestal base thickens slightly at the bottom to suggest a lip; the lip and an associated pair of relief bowstring lines, clearly demarcate the vessel's lower edge and lend visual stability. Two additional pairs of relief bowstring lines divide the pedestal base into three horizontal registers. Each horizontal register boasts several elongated, rectangular apertures, the apertures stacked (rather than alternating in checkerboard fashion). Patterns of incised (or possibly combed), hatched lines--occasionally of cross-hatched lines--appear between the apertures in the two lower registers; patterns of combed vertical lines appear between the apertures in the upper register. Three pairs of relief bowstring lines divide the stand's upper, bowl portion into three horizontal registers. The lowest register sports a pattern of combed vertical lines, echoing the patterns at the top of the pedestal base. The middle and upper registers each boast a pattern of ascending and descending triangles, the ascending triangles with combed, hatched lines, the descending triangles each with two stamped, concentric circles. The interior of the bowl is undecorated. Though unglazed, this bowl-shaped pedestal stand shows numerous areas with natural kiln gloss that resulted from ash falling on the piece during firing. The kiln gloss adds a slight luster to the areas where they occur, just as they also cause those areas to appear darker than the surrounding areas. Dirt and other burial adhesions appear in a few localized areas, particularly in the apertures that punctuate the base.
Dimensions
H. 30 x Diam. 39 cm (11 13/16 x 15 3/8 in.)
Provenance
[through ?, Korea, mid 1960s]; to Jerry Lee Musslewhite (mid 1960s-2009); to Estate of Jerry Lee Musslewhite (2009-2010), sold; to Harvard Art Museums, 2010. NOTE: Jerry Lee Musslewhite was an employee of the U.S. Department of Defense who worked in the Republic of Korea from 1965 to 1969.
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