One of the world's best collections of Korean art is housed in the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, in Seoul. In addition to sculptures, paintings and metalwares, it also holds a substantial number of ceramics from the Koryŏ (918–1392) and Chosŏn (1392–1910) kingdoms. Though several of its masterpieces have featured in exhibitions in Korea as well as in Japan, Europe and the U.S., until recently no exhibition comprising only Leeum artifacts have been held outside Korea. In April 2011, however, the museum lent sixty of its best examples of buncheong (punch'ŏng in standard academic transliteration) stonewares to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for display in the Korean gallery. In the latter half of 2011 they were shown at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Accompanying the exhibition is this illustrated catalogue published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Authored by Soyoung Lee and Seung-chang Jeon, the co-curators of the exhibition, it comprises three chapters that explore different aspects of punch'ŏng ceramics, from their production and use to their stylistic characteristics. From this perspective alone the volume stands out from other Korean art catalogues in English in that it does not open with a history-based chapter that introduces the period in question. Instead the authors write on the assumption that readers will be familiar with the historical trajectories under discussion. This would have been inconceivable a decade ago, and says much about the growth in the field of Korean studies, not to mention the rising interest in Korean art. But more importantly, it pushes the volume beyond an introductory level, and this makes it a valuable contribution to the field.

Titled “Buncheong, Unconventional Beauty,” the first chapter by Seung-chang Jeon (pp. 3–35) presents a detailed analysis of the emergence of punch'ŏng ceramics, their rise and their decline. Profusely illustrated with color images of the ceramics featured in the exhibition as well as other Leeum wares, Jeon offers an interesting and insightful discussion of this important ceramic tradition. Particularly interesting is the extensive section on the relationship between the government and the production of punch'ŏng (pp. 8–17). Referring to the kingdom's economic difficulties of the fifteenth century, Jeon argues that the making of punch'ŏng was initially encouraged as a suitable alternative to metal table and ritual wares. The production further flourished as punch'ŏng ceramics were supplied to the royal court and government offices ‘as taxes levied by the state on provinces’ (p. 12). Jeon argues that as the demand for punchŏng could not meet the supply, pieces began to be stolen from government bureaus, leading to wares being inscribed with the names of government offices. Especially informative are the illustrations of inscribed vessels that accompany the text (pp. 2–14). The latter part of the chapter deals more specifically with the chronological development of punch'ŏng. Jeon presents a comprehensive discussion of their popularity through an analysis of historical records and archaeological material. In contrast, the much contested question of their demise is dealt with only lightly. Jeon maintains that it was the popularity of porcelain that caused the decline of punch'ŏng. Though convincing, one wonders why he does not engage with the widespread, albeit nationalistic view that it was caused largely by the late sixteenth century Japanese invasions of the Korean peninsula, later dubbed the “pottery war”. Instead the first mention of this is not made until the last chapter when Lee explores the import and export of punch'ŏng ceramics to Japan (p. 97).

Titled “Decoding Design: Buncheong's Forms, Decorative Techniques, and Motifs” and co-written by Lee and Jeon, the second chapter is a detailed analysis of typical punch'ŏng forms, decorative methods and designs (pp. 37–94). In view of the expansive range of punch'ŏng wares produced during the fifteen and sixteenth centuries, the authors' attempt at categorizing this exhaustive material is admirable. Also instructive are the references to earlier and contemporary Korean artifacts as well as material from mainland China and Japan that serve to place punch'ŏng within a wider context of East Asian art traditions. The most informative part of the chapter is the section titled “The shape of things” (pp. 41–51) in which characteristic types of punch'ŏng bowls and vessels are explored. Through comparisons with metal and porcelain objects, the rise of popular shapes is explained and their function is discussed. Despite it being fundamental to the understanding of these wares, no other volume on punch'ŏng ceramics offer as detailed a discussion of this important topic. The extensive investigation of decorative techniques and designs that make up the remainder of the chapter (pp. 52-92) is less informative, largely because it presents little new in terms of scholarship. Still, it is likely be of interest to the general reader, whose access to Korean sources may be limited.

Written by Soyoung Lee, the last chapter is titled “Beyond the Original” which traces the distribution and consumption of punch'ŏng wares in Japan (pp. 95–131). Though scholars oftentimes refer to the popularity of punch'ŏng wares among the Japanese tea drinking elite, few have endeavored to tackle it in depth, and Lee's chapter is therefore a welcome addition to the field. Particularly informative is the section on punch'ŏng wares made for the lucrative Japanese export market. She argues that punch'ŏng wares were imported to Japan already in the fifteenth century during the height of their production, leading later to the rise of a category of “made-to-order ceramics produced in Korea to Japanese specifications and meant solely for Japanese consumption” (p. 104). Since punch'ŏng wares are commonly thought to have been made exclusively for a local market and therefore widely understood as being a quintessential Korean art form, this discussion presents a refreshingly new perspective. The chapter concludes with an introduction to selected ceramic works by contemporary Korean and Japanese artists. References to these artworks serve to place Chosŏn punch'ŏng traditions in the context of current art traditions, thereby making them more relevant to the general reader. Also the brief postscript introduces paintings by three twentieth century artists: Lee Jong-sang, Lee Ufan, and Kim Whanki.

The volume has a number of misspellings and typographical errors that lessen its otherwise substantial academic merits. Most confusing is the “Checklist of Objects in the Exhibition,” which has thumbnail photos of the exhibited objects, but several of the images are missing (pp. 139–49, images 6, 19, 35, 70–3). There are also romanization errors in the “Guide to Korean Transliterations” (pp. 152–53). These issues, however, should not detract from the overall value of the catalogue, which is an important addition to the field of Korean art. Despite interest in Korean arts having increased in the US and Europe over the past ten to fifteen years, publications in English are still relatively few and most are of an introductory nature. The true strength of the volume lies in its comprehensive and well-illustrated essays that are not matched by other specialized volumes on Korean ceramics, neither in English nor in Korean. In sum, the detailed discussions of the production of punch'ŏng ceramics, their use and their visual and decorative characteristics will be invaluable for the general as well as specialist reader, making this volume a must-have for anybody interested in the ceramic traditions of Korea.