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This celadon wine pot was made during the Goryeo
Kingdom (AD 12th), and it is 24.4 cm in height,
10.3 cm in base diameter. It is shaped into an
imaginary creature with a dragon's head and fish's
body, which was symbolic of the prevention of
fire and often employed as an architectural decoration.
It has a spout molded like a dragon's head, and
white slip is applied to the edge of the fins
and teeth of the dragon. The designs of the fins
and fur are incised in delicate lines. The scale
decorations are covering the vessel's fish-shaped
body, on each ventral side of which large bat's
wing-like fins are engraved. The handle, with
the form of twisted lotus stalks, is fitted neatly
on the upper part of the vessel, and the lid resembles
the tail fin of a fish.
In whole appearance, it projects an extraordinary,
but fully designed image of an imaginary animal.
The glaze color, a greenish blue with a deep tone,
and delicate incisions reveal the refined skill
of Goryeo potters. It is a distinctive example
of the celadon in the shapes of beneficent creatures.
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