Abstract

This study is focused on the historical background to the watermelon motif that was developed into a major decorative motif for paintings and handcraft items made during the late Joseon Period. The dominant view has been that the watermelon motif used by Korean artists in the past symbolized―as one can easily understand from the many seeds contained in the fruit―the good fortune of having many children. While it is true that the tradition of praying for good fortune through decorative motifs used for various works of art was firmly established in Joseon society, some of the motifs used in paintings and handicraft items made in the late Joseon period are related with a rather complex social context. First, literati artists of Joseon were fond of admiring this fruit and its attractive red flesh embedded with glossy black seeds. Second, watermelon had naturally been adopted as an essential offering to village deities and ancestral spirits at seasonal rituals held during summertime. Third, the fruit was often related with the legend of a filial son who never tasted it for the rest of his life after failing to bring one to his parents who wanted one so dearly. This legend has been cited as a fine example of filial piety, and the artists of late Joseon favored it as a subject matter for their art. The paintings of the Shrine Altar (Gammo Yeojaedo), Book Shelves (Chaekgeori), and Sweet Dew Rituals (Gamnodo) depict watermelons with one end sliced off to reveal its red inner flesh, white outer flesh, green rind and, more importantly, the tiny black seeds dotted around the red flesh. In these watermelon paintings of the Joseon Period the fruits exhibit an exciting range of differences as well as similarities. This study also deals with the discovery of a white porcelain wine jar in a watermelon shape complete with leaves and vines carved in relief. The pot shows that the watermelon motif was widely used to decorate pottery and other craftworks as well as paintings during the late Joseon Period. In addition, a ceramic vessel depicted in one painting suggests that the people of late Joseon used ceramic vessels of various shapes and sizes as watermelon holders. The ceramic vessels used to hold watermelons are studied on the basis of the “brass melon bowl” illustrated in Yeongjeong mosa dogam uigwe (The Protocol on the Copying of Royal Portraits) published in 1901. This study is expected to provide a comprehensive understanding of the way watermelons were used by late Joseon painters and potters as a symbolic subject matter for their art.