Maebyong are vases with small mouths, boldly taut shoulders, and narrow waists. The Korean word is related to the Chinese meiping, “plum vase,” which names a similar form supposedly intended to hold blossoming plum branches. However, there are examples of Chinese and Korean vessels like this one that retain their cup-shaped covers, which suggests they were used to store wine.

The decoration consists of auspicious symbols: stylized lotus leaves, scroll arabesques, fish, flowers, cranes, and raindrops or rice-grain patterns. The cranes signify longevity, while the fish and the grains of rice—or the raindrops needed for rice to grow—are symbols of abundance and fertility.

This kind of stoneware is known as punch’ong, a term coined in the 1940s to describe a celadon-type glaze over a gray body. The motifs were cut into the clay body before it was completely dried, then filled with white and black slip. The piece was covered with a greenish glaze and fired at a high temperature. Punch’ong, produced from 1392 to 1592, was widely used by both royalty and commoners. The skilled technique and overall finesse of the vase suggest an early 1400s date.