The exquisite celadon wine ewer was given to the Museum by Colonel Stephen McCormick, who previously donated a significant group of bronzes and ceramics to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. With its pear-shaped body, long neck and slightly everted mouth, the form of the bronze vase is closely related to that of Koryo dynasty ceramics vases. Probably once used to hold wine, the vase is similar in shape to a type of vessel often held by images of Kwanseum, Bodhisattva of Mercy. The vase is subtly decorated on the exterior with alternating thin, incised double bands and slightly thicker bands in relief. Thin, incised bands also decorate the interior of the vase's mouth.
Korean bronze has a high zinc content, and is therefore more akin to brass rather than bronze.
The much-esteemed grayish green color of the piece derives from iron used in its glaze and reduced oxygen in the kiln. Shards dating to the Koryo dynasty and excavated in the North Cholla and Kyonggi provinces indicate that this particular ware was produced in large quantities. While relatively few examples survive, the National Museum of Korea has a similar lobed, celadon ewer, matched with a warming bowl. The Philadelphia Museum of Art's new acquisition, too, may once have been paired with a bowl. It features a handle resembling the curling stem of a melon plant, and a round lid crowned with a twelve-petaled flower in relief.