Gallery 29: Arts of Korea

Thanks to gifts by Godfrey Gompertz, the Fitzwilliam has what is generally considered to be the best collection of Koryo celadon outside of Korea.

The display includes vessels that were used domestically, such as tea bowls, as well as items like a kundika, or a chongbyong which was a water sprinkler designed for use in Buddhist ceremonies. Celadon, the green or light turquoise glazed stoneware originated in China.

During the Koryo dynasty, which was in power for nearly 500 years until 1392, craftsmen refined celadon into a distinctly Korean art form. Later gifts of pottery, bronze, lacquerware and blue and white porcelain by Prof. Peter H. Plesch and Mrs Gerta R. (Traudi) Plesch have significantly enhanced and expanded our Korean holdings.

• Ground floor