Abstract

This study focuses on the fact that the products from the private kilns of Jingdezhen comprise a major portion of the blue-and-white porcelain excavated from the early Joseon sites in Korea including Hanyang. The blue-and-white porcelain that was used mainly by the royal family and the scholar-officials in Hanyang during the first half of Joseon spread to the public and the provinces. One of the driving factors behind the increasing popularity was the fact that the Joseon government limited the use of blue-and-white porcelain as a luxury item of a privileged class. Due to the limitation in domestic production, most of the demand for the blue-and-white porcelain was fulfilled by the imported products from Ming. The excavated items also show us that most of the blue-and-white porcelain used nationally were drinking vessels such as small bowls and cups.