Yang-Carved Cizhou Porcelain Plum Vase, Ming Dynasty or Earlier

China, Ming dynasty or earlier
Dimensions: 12” (30.48cm) H

A yang-carved cizhou porcelain vase depicting a dragon encircling the body of the vessel. Bottom foot and base is left unglazed.

The cizhou technique began production from the Song dynasty onwards and is typified by black painted decoration on a coarse grayish-white body. Examples such as this include incised decoration, but other cizhou types also include decoration that is painted or cut through the glaze. Production centers of cizhou wares during the Song dynasty are in northern China north of the Yellow River in present-day Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, and Gansu provinces. Cizhou wares were typically produced for daily use and form types include jars, basins, pots, bowls, pillows, and domestic utensils.

Provenance: Sotheby’s inventory stick; Xiaominzhaicangtao collector’s sticker

明或更早 磁州窯龍紋梅瓶