Hu vessel with light bluish-green glaze, Guan ware, Southern Song dynasty, 12th-13th century

Hu vessel with light bluish-green glaze, Guan ware, Southern Song dynasty, 12th-13th century

• Image Number: K1B013477N000000000PAB
• Dynasty: Southern Song dynasty
• Category: Ceramics
• Function: Container
• Material: Minerals/Ceramics/
• Description:
  Some of the official kiln wares in the Southern Song Dynasty were imitated from bronzes or jades. For example, the shape of this piece is imitated from a bronze through ear pot, with a long mouth and short neck, a large round belly, two ridges and chords between the neck and belly, two vertical round tube shaped ears on both sides, and a high circle foot at the bottom. The end of this piece is huge, which is the largest piece of official porcelain of the Southern Song Dynasty ever seen. The inner part of the outer bottom is slightly convex, and the body is covered with blue glaze. The color inside the ware is light, while the outer part is slightly dark. The glaze is bright and moist, and the color is pink green. The surface of the inner and outer glazes has a light color opening pattern, which is quiet and steady. A slightly dark “purple mouth” can be seen at the thin part of the glaze along the mouth, and a dark brown “iron foot” of the fetal bone can be seen at the unglazed part of the foot bottom. From the junction of the “purple mouth iron foot” and the bottom of the fetal glaze, there is a feature of multiple glaze applications, which shows the typical characteristics of the Southern Song official kilns. Similar through ears and bottom fragments were unearthed at the official kiln site under the Tanxia in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.