Stories of Korea’s National Treasures 75
Photo Credit : Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea
Celadon Water Dropper in the Shape of a Duck
(Goryeo Dynasty)
🏯 1. A Duck Born from Goryeo Celadon
During the Goryeo Dynasty, Korean potters brought celadon to an extraordinary level of beauty and refinement.
Among their many creations is the Celadon Water Dropper in the Shape of a Duck, a charming work that combines everyday function with artistic imagination.
A water dropper was used to add small amounts of water when preparing ink for calligraphy or painting.
Instead of making this object in a simple geometric form, the potter transformed it into a graceful duck.
Its compact body, gently curved neck, and natural posture give the impression of a bird resting peacefully on water.
It is a small object, yet it reveals the remarkable creativity of Goryeo artisans.
🦆 2. Where Function Meets Imagination
The beauty of this treasure lies in the way its practical purpose and sculptural form become one.
The duck's body serves as a container for water, while openings were carefully incorporated so that the vessel could be filled and the water released in controlled amounts.
The artist did not simply decorate a useful object with the image of a bird.
The entire vessel became the bird itself.
Its rounded body and delicately modeled features demonstrate careful observation of nature, while the smooth celadon surface gives the figure a calm and elegant presence.
This harmony between usefulness and beauty is one of the most appealing qualities of traditional Korean craftsmanship.
🌄 3. The Beauty of Goryeo Celadon
Goryeo celadon is especially admired for its distinctive translucent jade-green glaze, often described in Korea as bisaek, or “kingfisher color.”
When light touches the glazed surface, subtle variations in color and depth give the ceramic a soft, almost watery appearance.
This quality is particularly well suited to the form of a duck — a bird naturally associated with ponds, rivers, and quiet waters.
The result is an object in which material, color, and form seem to belong together naturally.
Through this small water dropper, we can see how Goryeo potters observed the natural world and transformed it through clay, glaze, and fire.
🌿 4. A Small Treasure of Everyday Culture
The Celadon Water Dropper in the Shape of a Duck also tells us something important about the culture surrounding writing and scholarship.
Preparing ink was once part of the daily practice of scholars, calligraphers, and painters.
Objects used on the writing desk could therefore become works of art in their own right.
Designated National Treasure No. 75, this celadon water dropper preserves both the technical excellence of Goryeo ceramics and the refined aesthetic sensibility of its time.
It reminds us that great art does not always have to be monumental.
Sometimes it can be found in a small object made to accompany an ordinary moment of writing.
💬 5. A Warm Reflection
“Beauty does not always live in grand places.
Sometimes it rests quietly on a scholar's desk,
shaped like a small duck waiting beside the inkstone.
The hands that made it remind us
that even an everyday object can become something worth remembering.”
📌 Notice
The National Treasure number indicates the order of designation, not a ranking of value.
For more information, please visit the 👉 National Heritage Portal.
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