# Plum Vase (Maebyeong) with Clouds, Cranes, and Children Motifs

- By: Korea
- Date: Goryeo dynasty (918–1392), late 12th century
- Medium: Stoneware with red and white slip and celadon glaze
- Classification: Vessel
- Dimensions: 33.4 × 19.7 cm (13 1/8 × 7 3/4 in.)
- Culture: Korea
- Credit line: Gift of Mr. Russell Tyson
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/73216)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/49c8b5f7-e4f6-96a8-cb44-2f0cb420f29f/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Celadon or green-glazed stoneware is one of the greatest achievements of Korea’s Goryeo dynasty. Goryeo potters absorbed Chinese techniques and surpassed that country’s examples by further refining a technique known as sanggam. The time-consuming and complex process of sanggam involves carving a motif, then filling it with white and/or red clay (which turns black after firing) before applying the final bluish-green glaze. This vase is decorated with two large oval-like frames containing a scene of children playing in a bamboo garden, and a motif of cranes flying through clouds, symbolizing a wish for fertility and longevity.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0