Buncheong (), or punch'ong, ware is a traditional form of Korean stoneware, with a blue-green tone. Pieces are coated with white slip (ceramics), and decorative designs are added using a variety of techniques. This style originated in the 15th century and continues in a revived form today.
History
Buncheong is a contemporary term for a specific type of traditional Korean stoneware that developed in the 15th century, during the Joseon period, as Goryeo celadon techniques and subject matter evolved. In contrast to the refined elegance of Goryeo celadon, buncheong is designed to be natural, unassuming, and practical. This style is characterized by its pale blue-green color and decorative techniques, which involved shaping the clay and then covering it in white slip (ceramics) and decorating it by carving, stamping, and brushwork. While the production of buncheong ware in Korea declined and was outpaced by porcelain, stoneware featuring buncheong-derived aesthetic elements continued to be produced in Japan, where it became known as Mishima pottery, simultaneously with porcelain. In Japan the two were seen as separate forms of expression, neither substituting for the other. Korean ceramics generally featured only one primary pigment and favored more subtle expression than those found in China and Japan, and the subject matter and composition of buncheong was more whimsical and lyrical, reminiscent of modern abstract works, with free-spirited decorative motifs. Regional differences in style and technique developed quickly, such as inhwa, with designs being stamped onto the surface and these stamped areas being covered with white slip; cheolhwa, applying designs with a brown underglaze to pieces covered with white slip; and johwa, a sgraffito style in which a piece is covered in white slip and designs are then etched onto the surface.