Celadon sherd with an overlapping lotus petals in reversed white slip inlay (Korean: yeoksanggam) and black and white slip inlay, bordered by a key-fret pattern (Korean: beongaemuni - "thunder"-pattern), under a greenish-tinged (celadon) glaze. The glaze has a crackle, and the surface of the sherd has a grayish tone. This sherd may have originally been part of the wall of a celadon dish.
For the lotus petal design an inlay technique, called yeoksanggam in Korea, was applied which means the background was carved away, leaving the lotus petal band in relief, and then filled in with white or black slip to highlight the main motif.
This sherd is probably a kiln waster - a piece of ceramic that did not fire successfully. Sherds of this kind, which are usually found at kiln sites and the surrounding areas, are valuable for art historical and archaeological research. Sherds do not only reveal information about the production process, techniques and materials used and the types of ceramics produced at specific kiln sites, but they also serve as important indicators for tracing back ceramic objects to their sites of production. Hence, sherds help to date and to understand the historical, social and cultural contexts of ceramic objects.