Cleveland Museum of Art

Jar with Four Auspicious Characters in Relief

Date

1800s

Medium

glazed porcelain

Culture

Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)

Department

Korean Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This white porcelain vase is decorated with four Chinese characters symbolizing auspicious (hopeful) wishes—longevity, good fortune, health, and peace—each within a floral medallion. Such jars were often presented as birthday or wedding gifts, conveying the giver’s blessings for a long and harmonious life. This object was purchased in 1981 from Kochukyo (壺中居), an antique gallery founded in 1924 in Tokyo, Japan. Many important Korean works remain in Japanese private collections, after being taken there during the Japanese colonial period (1910–45). Consequently, Japanese antique galleries continue to handle Korean antiquities, serving as significant channels for their circulation today. This type of jar with auspicious characters was often used as a birthday or wedding gift.

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