BOTTLE, Cizhou kiln, celadon with applied decoration, Song Dynasty（960–1279CE）

A celadon bottle with applied decoration from the Cizhou kiln, Song Dynasty.

The Cizhou kiln is best known for white-ground black sgraffito and iron-painted wares, but examples with celadon-type glazes are also documented. This bottle, made from a clay body characteristic of northern ceramics, is coated with a celadon glaze and bears applied decoration encircling the body.

The mouth flares slightly outward, and the neck rises in a tubular form. The neck retains stepped throwing marks, the shoulder is rounded and full, and the body tapers downward. Around the foot the clay is left exposed, revealing reddish clay. As Cizhou ware it is relatively thinly made, and the transition from rim to neck to shoulder exhibits the poised tension characteristic of Song ceramics.

Vertical applied motifs are arranged on the body. At the upper shoulder they project upward in an angular formation, from which small applied pieces continue down the body. The vessel's form is simple, yet these appliqués alter its appearance as it is turned, revealing different expressions from each view. Rather than incised lines or painted decoration, the bottle's principal attraction is the application of clay to the surface, giving the vessel a sculptural, three-dimensional relief.

The glaze is a celadon with a subtle gray cast, fired to a firm, compact finish. As an excavated piece, the surface bears encrustations and traces of red earth from burial, yet the glaze remains well preserved and, when handled, has a softly adherent, almost moist quality.

An old hairline crack is present approximately 5 cm from the rim. Aside from some abrasion and adherent soil typical of excavated material, there are no significant losses, and the condition is good. As a celadon-type example from the Cizhou kiln distinct from iron-painted and sgraffito wares, its thin-walled form, the hard, well-fired celadon glaze, and the three-dimensional applied decoration are well preserved. Photographs may not fully convey this quality, but when viewed in person the taut, characteristic presence of Song celadon is clearly evident.