Dimensions: Height 28 cm Wide 15 cm Depth 15 cm
Weight: 1280 grams

Of elegant pear-shaped (yuhuchunping) form, rising from a short circular foot to a rounded body tapering to a slender neck and flared mouth, the stoneware body is covered with a pale slip under a transparent glaze. Boldly painted in dark iron-brown slip are stylised floral sprays and leafy branches, enclosed within linear borders, the brushwork spontaneous and lively. The creamy glaze has areas of natural crackling, typical of Cizhou wares from northern kilns.

This form, the yuhuchunping, is one of the most refined shapes of Chinese ceramics, later much admired and revived in Yuan and Ming porcelain. During the Song period, Cizhou kilns produced robust everyday wares with powerful painted designs, their expressive aesthetic contrasting with the more restrained court wares of the period.

Comparable Cizhou slip-painted vases of yuhuchunping form are preserved in the collections of the British Museum, London, and the Palace Museum, Beijing. A related 12th-century Cizhou floral-painted yuhuchunping was sold at Sotheby’s New York, 15 September 2015, lot 33, achieving USD 50,000, underscoring the enduring appreciation of this ware among collectors.