Guan ware long-necked vase with raised bow-string decoration, Southern Song dynasty, 12th century, Guan ware, stoneware with Guan glaze, China, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Jiaotanxia kiln, 23.2 x 14.1 cm (Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC: Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1911.338)
This is a beautifully shaped ceramic vase. It has a squat body, angled shoulders, and an elegant long neck. The neck is decorated with two raised “bow string” lines. A soft grayish-blue glaze covers the vase. Its size and glaze make the vase not only a pleasure to look at, but ideal to be held in one’s hand to appreciate. Patterns of crackle lines form in the glaze, allowing the dark, clay body to peak through. The crackles are not entirely accidental cracks—a defect that would sometimes occur from a failed firing of ceramics—instead, the potters intentionally created this effect for its visual appeal.
Detail of Guan ware long-necked vase with raised bow-string decoration, Southern Song dynasty, 12th century, Guan ware, stoneware with Guan glaze, China, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Jiaotanxia kiln, 23.2 x 14.1 cm (Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC: Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1911.338)
Through years of ceramic-making practice, Song potters learned that when the clay body and glaze contract at different rates after the firing, the tension caused would generate the crackles. When making ceramic objects like this vase, Song potters would apply multiple layers of glaze and fire frequently at a moderate temperature before a final high-temperature firing. By controlling the last phase of cooling, potters encouraged the glaze to shrink more than the body and crackle. Thus, Song potters exploited what might appear to be a technical defect for its aesthetic effect.
This vase is a typical Southern Song “Guan” ware, literally “official” ware. When the capital of the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) was relocated from northern China to modern day Hangzhou, Guan ware kilns were established nearby and produced stonewares mostly for the imperial court. Guan ware is probably one of the rarest and most admired types of Chinese ceramics in the present world. They all have common features. The body is very thin, often thinner than the glaze. The thick glaze is typically applied in many coats, and brownish or blackish crackles spread throughout it.
This resource was developed for Teaching China with the Smithsonian, made possible by the generous support of the Freeman Foundation
