and a clear glaze. Various methods can be used to apply decoration and pigment on the slip or draw through the slip to reveal the dark clay beneath it. Buncheong is distinct from other forms of Korean ceramic ware, such as Goryeo celadon and Joseon white porcelain, in various ways which are more related to aesthetics and underlying sentimentality than to technique. Its unconventional beauty is easily distinguished from the elegance of its celadon precursor and the simplicity of white porcelain, setting it apart as a uniquely Korean style. Korean ceramics generally featured only one primary pigment and favored more subtle expression than those found in China and Japan, and the subject matter and composition of buncheong was more whimsical and lyrical, reminiscent of modern abstract works, with free-spirited decorative motifs. These motifs were originally derived from Goryeo era celadon but changed dramatically as buncheong ware developed throughout the 15th and 16th centuries. Flowers, such as peonies, chrysanthemums, and lotuses, as well as animals, both real and imagined, were important design elements and motifs in buncheong ware, as they were important symbols related to belief systems such as Confucianism. Buncheong incorporated carving and stamping as decorative elements, slip inlay, sgraffito, brushwork, iron painting, and later brushing and sipping pieces in white slip. Regional differences in style and technique developed quickly, such as inhwa, with designs being stamped onto the surface and these stamped areas being covered with white slip; cheolhwa, applying designs with a brown underglaze to pieces covered with white slip; and johwa, a sgraffito style in which a piece is covered in white slip and designs are then etched onto the surface. As the style evolved, it reflected the changing culture surrounding it. As metals such as gold, silver, and bronze became scarce due to Ming Dynasty China’s tribute demands, ceremonial vessels once made from those metals were manufactured using clay instead, copying the shapes and aesthetics of the original metal vessels. The nature of the surface decorations shifted from finer, more delicate decoration as was typical of the Goryeo period, to a looser and more abstract style which was more lively, informal, and experimental as craftsmen experienced a change in patronage to local and regional customers rather than governmental. Gallery Gallery by techniques There are six main techniques in buncheong ware: . See also Korean pottery and porcelain References Further reading Soyoung Lee, Seung-chang Jeon. Korean Buncheong