운현궁 생활자기의 양상과 의미

Abstract

Ceramics used in Unhyeongung is an important source through which the trend of modern ceramics of Korea can be seen, from those of the Joseon Dynasty in the late 19th century to industrial ceramics of the post-1940s. Although the exact figure of the ceramics left is not known, it is thought that most of them have been spread widely and kept in and out of Korea by going through the Japanese colonial era and the Korean War. About 90% of the ceramics are dishware and a considerable number of them are those of the late 19th century on which letters such as '雲', ‘雲峴’, ‘上室’, etc. were finely written and industrial ceramics of the early 20th century. Ceramics with letters produced in the 19th century were those which were donated to the palace and show the style of white porcelain of the late Joseon Dynasty. In terms of shape, the majority of them are dishware and, in terms of pattern, mushroom and flower patterns were used as a result of the influence of the Qing Dynasty of China. For industrial ceramics, however, they were heavily influenced by Japan. After opening ports in 1876, the import of Japanese ceramics increased, and the Korean royal palace used industrial ceramics from Europe and Japan but the number of Japanese industrial ceramics started to increase after 1910. Those Japanese ceramics dominated the market of the Joseon Dynasty and interfered with the development of its ceramic industry but also had a great effect on modern Korean ceramics. Industrial ceramic factories began to be built by Koreans at the beginning of the 1940s under the influence of Japan, but they produced quality ceramics from the beginning of their foundation and have since kept the tradition and quality of ceramics up to now. This study of ceramics used in Unhyeongung was a good opportunity for me to look into the limits and problems of the times as well as the developmental process of modern ceramics of Korea. Ceramics with finely-written letters, which were produced in the 19th century and used in Unhyeongung, showed the deterioration of white porcelain in the late Joseon Dynasty, while industrial ceramics of the early 20th century, which accepted capital and ceramics-making technique introduced from Japan, showed the process of Korean ceramics' being modernized. Starting with this study, I hope that individual studies of not only ceramics but also various kinds of handicrafts like brassware and furniture that were used in Unhyeongung are carried out and, based on those studies, researches through which craft culture in the modern period can be understood are pursued in the future.