For Customers outside of USA

Exceptionally Well Preserved Genuine Ancient Medieval “Celadon Green” Glazed Carved/Engraved Porcelain Wine “Hu” (Decanter).

CLASSIFICATION: Glazed Porcelain Wine Decanter.

ATTRIBUTION: Ancient China, Song Dynasty (906-1279 A.D.).

SIZE/MEASUREMENTS:

Height: 86 millimeters (3 1/2 inches).

Width Including Handle and Spout: 134 millimeters (5 3/8 inches).

Diameter: 102 millimeters (4 1/8 inches) at bowl; 36 millimeters (1 1/2 inches) at top lip; 47 millimeters (1 7/8 inches) at base.

Lid Diameter: 54 millimeters (2 1/8 inches). Lid Height: 16 millimeters (5/8 inch).

CONDITION: Exceptionally good, almost perfectly preserved. The lid is not original, it is a replacement from another similar piece. Entirely intact except for the normal potting blemishes (warts and acne pits) associated with hand production. Cleaned and conserved, but soil stains still remain on unglazed surfaces and inside surfaces. All quite normal for a 800 porcelain utensil. Original glaze is almost entirely intact, minimal crackling/crazing. Intact and unrepaired.

DETAIL: A splendid little glazed porcelain wine “hu” (decanter) from the late Song Dynasty of Ancient China, very similar to Western eyes to a tea pot. While one could certainly use this as a tea pot, it was actually designed to decant wine. This style became known as “Celadon Green” – so named for the color – and is one of the most celebrated styles of ancient China. The original glaze is almost entirely intact, uncommon for a vessel approximately 800 years old. When this came to us it had a lot of soil adhesions and stains. As you can see it cleaned up remarkably well, except that some of the unglazed surfaces are still stained red from the soil it was buried beneath – and the inside of the wine decanter, especially the spout, is also stained red with light soil adhesions.

You might note that some surfaces such as the base of the decanter and the base of the lid were intentionally left unglazed. This was done so that while wet, it could be stacked on top of other pieces in the kiln, and would not become stuck while being fired. As you can see the glaze is wonderfully intact given its age, with very little of the “crazing” or “crackling” which so often afflicts ancient porcelain and ceramic glazes. However the glaze is somewhat decomposed/oxidized. While it has not turned powdery, it has lost some of the original glossiness and has turned somewhat grainy. There are a few little spots of roughness where the glaze is almost entirely lost, but these can only be found by touch – and at that with careful inspection – but this is not detectable to the eye.

Considering it is 800 years old, the glaze is in wonderful condition, not almost entirely decomposed into a powdery oxidized residue as is unfortunately so often the case with ancient glazed ceramics. You can see that the “highlight” or focal point to this piece is extensive and intricate carved design, especially elaborate on the upper surface. It is truly a very elaborate and special little piece, the finish a little coarse and crude, but not uncommonly blemished relative to such ancient hand made porcelain utensils. It is remarkable that this utensil has withstood the passage of eight centuries so gracefully, but then again, this was a votive offering.

There are a few minor scuffs, marks, insignificant blemishes, etc. What you would expect to find of an 800 year old votive offering to a deceased loved one. It’s not perfect, but it is about as close to perfect as you will ordinarily find of an authentic porcelain wine hu like this. Of course realistically one would expect some blemishes after being buried for eight centuries, and there are no surprises here except that there are so few blemishes – and what blemishes there are almost require magnification to discern. There are quite a few of the customary blemishes (warts, dimples, pimples and pits) in the finish and glaze which one expects with ceramics and porcelains crudely fashioned by hand. Notwithstanding these blemishes it has emerged from antiquity in simply superb condition!

Overall it is an exceptionally attractive piece, and extraordinarily well preserved specimen of the ancient Chinese ceramic arts. This is one of the finest small glazed vessels of the era we have ever seen. If you’d like an authentic ancient glazed ceramic wine hu (decanter), or tea pot if you prefer to regard it as such, you could not go wrong with this one. It is solidly shaped, nicely featured, and perfectly proportioned. It could be used even today to decant wine or a liquer – or even to brew a cup of tea. You could display this one with great pride either at work on your desk or at home, maybe even as a unique candy jar. Either way, it will certainly generate curiosity and perhaps even a little envy!

HISTORY OF SONG EARTHENWARE: Fifty years of chaos followed the fall of the Tang Dynasty before the rise of two competing but complementary Dynasties in China; the shorter-lived Liao to the North and the Song to the South. Liao ceramics are unique in form, glaze and design but still utilize Chinese techniques, sometimes showing Tang influence. Liao ceramics are often monochrome white and black similar to that which would be widely produced in the future during the Yuan dynasty. Other Liao ceramics are similar to Tang sancai (three color) lead glazes. The most fundamentally unique characteristics of Laio ceramics were their shapes. To the South, the arts of the Song Dynasty showed introspection and refinement. The Song emperors were among China's most culturally enlightened rulers, many were accomplished artists in their own right. Song ceramics provide a parallel to the era’s renowned landscape painting in their variety and accomplishments.

The finest ceramic products included Ting ware characterized by a milky white glaze and delicately carved or impressed designs. A common motif featured lotus blossoms, which were originally a Buddhist symbol but were often used for decoration in Song secular art. Also highly regarded is vividly colored Chun ware, with splashes of red or purple painted on a blue glazed surface. It was popular in the royal court and was often used for bowls and flowerpots. Classic blue-green celadon and white porcelain continued to be produced in large quantities, most frequently found in the shape of vases. In addition to these royal favorites, a group of popular stoneware, called Tz'u-chou, was manufactured in for local use. The Tz'u-chou potters used a wide variety of decorative techniques, including glazing, painting, incising, and enameling. Chien ware was the favorite of Buddhist monks in Fujian Province who drank their tea from glossy, black-glazed bowls.

During the Song Dynasty porcelain kilns were established at Jingdezhen, where porcelain is still produced today. Jingdezhen became the dominant producer due to its proximity to deposits of high-quality porcelain clay and to two major river systems for transport. Their kilns were particularly successful due to the innovation we know as assembly line techniques. Huge demand came both from a growing Chinese middle class and from foreign merchants, and led to a diversity of shapes, glazes, and decorative motifs. The Song dynasty was the most important dynasty in Chinese porcelain history, and brought prosperity in porcelain production. Amongst the most famous porcelain every produced were exceedingly fine and delicate Ru Kiln wares which used special a glaze with orange carnelian added. The production of Ru ware lasted only 20 years, and today are so rare that only about 70 pieces are known to still exist.

HISTORY OF EARTHENWARE IN ANCIENT CHINA: Want to know a little more about the history of pottery in ancient China? Click right here.

HISTORY OF THE SONG DYNASTY: The collapse of the Tang Dynasty in 907 A.D. formed the backdrop for the rise the Sung and Liao Dynasties. During the fifty years following the collapse China fragmented into ten different kingdoms, constantly in conflict with one another, and a rapid succession of five dynasties formed and then collapsed. The Five Dynasties period ended in 960 A.D. when a military leader seized the throne and proclaimed the establishment of the Sung (Song) Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) and reunified most of China. However the Mongols who were responsible for the demise of the preceding Tang Dynasty formed their own kingdom in North China known as the Liao Dynasty (907-1125 A.D.). For the only time in China, the contemporaneous monarchs of both the Liao and Song Dynasties recognized one another as possessing “the mandate of heaven” to rule China as the “son of heaven” – a situation similar to that of Ancient Egypt whereby one Dynasty ruled Upper Egypt, the other Lower Egypt, both Pharaohs recognizing one another’s divine right to rule.

Notwithstanding the shorter-lived Northern Liao Dynasty, the Song Dynasty proved to be the longer lived, and controlled most of China. The founders of the Song Dynasty built an effective centralized bureaucracy staffed with civilian scholar-officials. Notable for the development of cities not only as administrative entities, but also as centers of trade, industry, and maritime commerce, the Sung Dynasty gave rise to a new group of wealthy commoners, the mercantile class. Printing and education spread, private trade grew, and a market economy began to link the coastal provinces and the interior. Landholding and government employment were no longer the only means of gaining wealth and prestige.

Unfortunately fearing a repeat of the anarchy created in the Tang Dynasty by petty military rulers in the frontier areas, the Sung Monarchs severely limited the power and authority of provincial military commanders. They were subordinate to centrally appointed civilian officials who had replaced the regional military governors of the Tang. Though this gave greater power and control to the emperor and his palace bureaucracy, it also led a chronic problem with military weakness. Weakness which proved to be fatal to the Sung Dynasty as they confronted the Mongols under the leadership of Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan.

HISTORY OF ANCIENT CHINESE CIVILIZATION: Want to know a little more about the history of human civilization in ancient China? Click right here.

A certificate of authenticity (COA) is available upon request. Artifacts are mailed from the USA. Due to its fragile nature this particular piece is only shipped in an oversized box with lots of Styrofoam peanuts. The cost for shipping this item includes delivery confirmation (you can track your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site). Additional items shipped together do result in a discount. The shipping weight of this item is 2 pounds. Various rates for shipping both domestically and internationally may be viewed here. A wide variety of cost-effective methods are available including surface mail, air mail, and expedited mail.