Bottle with peony leaves

This Buncheong bottle is an example of sgraffito design. Potters first brushed the surface with white slip (liquid clay); after it dried to a leatherlike hardness, they incised the design with fine lines, and certain areas were carved away. In this manner, the decorative motif in white—in this case a scrolling peony-leaf design—stands out dramatically against the darker clay. Finally, a thin glaze was applied.