1975 First English edition. Hardback. 8vo  160pp with 122 photographs in colour and black and white. Green cloth backed decorated paper board.  Dustwrapper with some wear to edges. Very good condition.

The pottery of Korea’s Yi Dynasty [1392-1910] embodies the very essence of Korea and its people. In its unsophisticated elegance, it bespeaks the modesty and humility of its makers. During the five centuries of rule of the House of Yi, a totally Confucian way of life was rigidly imposed on the people and penetrated deeply into the fabric of society. The potters of the age, prohibited by austere Confucian precepts from indulging in aesthetic pursuits, were able to produce only wares for everyday use, such as rice bowls and jars for pickled foods. Even within this narrow frame-work, however, they displayed an instinctive knowledge that regularity and refinement are not the only criteria for beauty. Their products are often warped and asymmetric, but it is for this very imperfection that they have come to be highly prized.