This small and elegant bottle, decorated in underglaze cobalt blue, is exceedingly rare. It is a product of the earliest period of Korean blue and white porcelain, when the influence of Chinese forms and motifs was still quite strong. A document written in 1464 states that Korean domestic blue cobalt was being used for underglaze painting because Chinese pigments were in limited supply. Another Korean official document, dated 1481, states that artists from the Academy of Painting were often painting on porcelain manufactured for the Royal Household.

White wares from this period are found in large numbers. Blue and white vessels are thought to have been made at the Doma-ri kilns and neighboring kilns in Kwangju, Kyonggi Province. Sherds from this site excavated in 1986 are illustrated in Richo no sara [Porcelain Dishes in Choson Dynasty, Korea] (Osaka: Museum of Oriental Ceramics, 1991), p. 3.

Examples of small vessels decorated in underglaze blue is illustrated in Masterpieces of the Hoam Art Museum (Seoul: Hoam Art Museum, 1982) pls. 96, 97, 98.

A 15th-century dish painted in underglaze blue was sold for a world-record price in these Rooms, April 27th, 1994, lot 54; a box and cover of the same period was sold in these Rooms, April 27th, 1993, lot 20.