Dimensions: Height 25,8 cm Wide 13 cm Depth 13 cm
Weight: 1158 grams

Of elegant elongated form with rounded shoulders tapering to a narrow foot and slightly flared rim, the stoneware body is decorated in bold iron-brown slip against a white slip ground. The main register is painted with a continuous wave pattern, the brushwork spontaneous and rhythmic, enclosed within horizontal lines. The glaze is thinly applied, with areas of natural crackling and firing imperfections, exposing the buff body at the footrim.

Cizhou wares were produced at numerous northern kilns in Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi provinces, renowned for their strong forms and expressive painted decoration. The wave motif is a rare and dynamic subject within the Cizhou repertoire, symbolising both natural vitality and auspicious renewal.

Comparable Cizhou painted vases of the Song–Yuan period with wave or abstract brush designs are in the collections of the British Museum, London, and the Palace Museum, Beijing. A closely related 12th-century painted Cizhou vase was sold at Christie’s New York, 2019, for USD 30,000, demonstrating the enduring appeal of these bold northern wares.