Featured Ceramic Dragon

Picked up this rather large dragon in Seoul a little while back, not really sure what is supposed to go in the base but it reminds me of the incense holders at temples. The dragon has some sort of glaze that is mostly smooth to the touch but catches on any sort of cloth i try to use to clear off dust. It also has some weird brown-ish... gunk? inside some creases on the body and I'm not sure thats intentional from the maker or if someone jammed it in there at some point during its life before I acquired it. Also unsure why it has the white spots under the dragon but my guess is thats where it was set on something during firing.

 

Yes the white spots on the bottom without glaze - are sprue marks from where it sat up on little "feet" when it was fired. It appears done with a celadon type glaze, but not very well done as the glaze has chipped out in small pieces. Looks new and recent to me.

 

Looks like vintage last week to me, but it could be 20 years old by now.

 

Did you try cleaning the brown gunk? It doesn't appear to be original to the piece. From viewing your pics I thought it might be places where the glaze chipped off. But if it is on the surface you should be able to remove it. It does not enhance the piece at all.

 

I did try cleaning it and it came off a bit with a damp q tip. That surprised me a bit and i figured i'd come here before hassling it any further just in case! Will try removing it again to see what happens. Edit: It doesnt want to come off but it does look like theres a different color beneath it, maybe its a spot where the glaze didnt reach and someone just jammed that in there..? Very odd choice if thats the case...