A monumental hand-sculpted ceramic jar from Dogabi — a South Korean ceramic studio whose entire output is built around a single figure: the dokkaebi, or Korean goblin. In Korean folklore, the dokkaebi is not a villain. It is a guardian — a protector of the home, a bringer of abundance, a creature that lives in the space between the frightening and the familiar.
This piece, No. 29, is part of the artist’s Sculptural Jar series and sits at the top of the Dogabi scale, both in size and in ambition. It stands over 16 inches tall and weighs 11 pounds. Wheel-thrown and hand-sculpted from a proprietary clay body developed in THR Studio, the body is finished in a cream-white pearlescent glaze that catches the light with an almost mother-of-pearl shimmer. Two tall sweeping horns rise from the crown in deep hammered copper-brown, their surface textured like forged metal. A small 24K gold horn stud sits at the forehead. Across the upper face, striking turquoise-blue swirl patterns wrap around the eyes like a carnival mask, outlined in metallic bronze. The mouth opens in a wide grin lined with a full row of 24K gold teeth.
Fired at 2,282°F with oxidation glaze firing, then re-fired at 1,472°F for the gold. One of a kind.
WHY IT’S SPECIAL
- Part of Dogabi’s Sculptural Jar series — the artist’s largest, most ambitious format: a monumental hand-sculpted vessel that reads as serious sculpture rather than functional object.
- Proprietary clay body developed in THR Studio: Kim formulates his own clay for the Sculptural Jar series — a material you’ll find nowhere else.
- Turquoise-blue swirl patterns around the eyes: outlined in metallic bronze, these mask-like markings give the piece a festival or masquerade quality that distinguishes it from darker Dogabi pieces.
- Tall hammered copper-brown horns: textured like forged metal, rising nearly the full height of the piece in a dramatic arc.
- Cream-white pearlescent glaze: catches the light with an almost mother-of-pearl shimmer, softening the fearsome face.
- 24K gold horn stud and teeth: re-fired at 1,472°F for a cool metallic finish that punctuates the composition.
- Collector-grade: this is a signature piece from one of South Korea’s most singular ceramic practices, and the kind of object that becomes a centerpiece anywhere it lands.
- Dokkaebi mythology: an old Korean word for goblin — traditionally a guardian of the home and a symbol of abundance, not a monster. A protective presence at scale.
DETAILS
- Material: ceramic — clay body developed in THR Studio
- Size: 420 x 300 x 420 (h) mm / 16.5" x 11.8" x 16.5" high
- Opening diameter: 20 mm / 0.8"
- Weight: 5,100g / 11.2 lbs
- Method: wheel throwing, hand sculpting
- Kiln: oxidation firing at 2,282°F, glaze; 1,472°F for gold
- 24K gold horn stud and teeth; turquoise-blue mask markings outlined in metallic bronze
- One of a kind
- Made in South Korea by THR Ceramic Studio
THE BRAND
Dogabi is the ceramic line of THR Ceramic Studio, founded in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea in 2003 by ceramic artist Hyung Jun Kim. The studio’s work spans functional objects and one-of-a-kind sculpture, but the Dogabi series is its most singular obsession: every piece is a new version of the same figure — the dokkaebi of Korean folklore, reimagined in porcelain and clay each time. The dokkaebi has been part of Korean imagination for centuries, appearing as guardian, trickster, monster, and protector depending on who is telling the story. Kim’s versions are all of these at once. Each is numbered, each is different, and none come back once they’re gone. In October 2025, Takamichi Beauty Room hosted an exhibition with the artist, covered by T Magazine.
