Celadon dish with inlaid (sanggam) decoration of cranes among clouds

Korea, Goryeo Dynasty, 13th-early 14th century

Circular stoneware dish with a grey-green celadon glaze, featuring an inlaid sanggam decoration, created by incising the clay and then filling the motifs before glazing. The center is occupied by a flying crane, repeated in the wide annular register where other cranes soar among stylized clouds. The rim is adorned with a highly structured composition of small repeated flowers and fine radiating striations. The piece clearly belongs to the great decorative repertoire of Goryeo celadons, where the association of cranes, clouds, and floral motifs is particularly well attested.

The dish has undergone old kintsugi restorations, visible both inside and on the reverse. The gold now highlights the network of breaks without impeding the legibility of the decoration. These repairs are not mere concealment: they add a visible history to the object, while preserving the readability of its ornamental structure. They also testify to a genuine appreciation of the piece, as such a restoration implies the desire to preserve and honor an object deemed worthy of transmission.

This dish thus presents a real interest due to the clarity of its decorative program, its clear belonging to the tradition of inlaid Goryeo celadons, and the balance between the somewhat matte sobriety of its material and the symbolic richness of the flying crane motif, birds of longevity and good omen in East Asian art.

Dimensions: diameter 27 cm; height 6 cm.