RING, Cizhou kiln, green-glazed, pair, Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE)

A pair of green-glazed rings from the Cizhou kiln, Ming dynasty.

Diameter 6.5cm, thickness 1cm. A ceramic ring with a rounded cross-section. Traces of hand shaping remain as slight irregularities in the contour.

The Cizhou kiln tradition is a major lineage of northern ceramics that developed primarily in southern Hebei, with production continuing from the Song through the Jin and Yuan dynasties into the Ming. While wares with black decoration on a white ground are well known, plain-glazed ceramics in white, black, brown, and green were also produced widely. This example is unadorned, its effect achieved solely through the ring form and the hue of its blue-green glaze.

The glazes are different: one a pale gray-green, the other with a deep olive cast. Where the glaze is applied thickly the color is deeper, and where it is thin it appears brighter; fine iron speckling is visible on the surface. Although they form a pair, the glaze tones are not identical, and the variations in firing are clearly shown by the contrast when they are placed side by side.

The original function is uncertain. With a small inner diameter and no opening or closing mechanism or suspension fittings, they are unlikely to have served as conventional bracelets or earrings. Because they are preserved as a pair, they may have been movable loops attached to a vessel or object, but the absence of any attachment components prevents a definitive identification. On the basis of their actual form, they are here described as green-glazed rings.

The surfaces show fine abrasions acquired with age; in places the glaze has flaked away, revealing the reddish-brown body. Neither piece has major damage, and both retain their ring form well. This pair highlights the glaze character of Ming-dynasty Cizhou ware and a simple, unadorned form that suggests their original function.