Antiquités de l'époque des Song

Faceted Vase with Tall Neck

Northern Song–Jin dynasty (11th–13th century)

Linru Kiln (臨汝窯), Henan Province, China
Stoneware with celadon glaze
Height 22 cm; Width 8 cm

This vase exemplifies the elegant restraint of Song-period celadons.
Its tall, tapering body, defined by six gentle facets and a flaring neck, conveys quiet precision and balance.
The thin, translucent bean-green glaze is softly speckled and finely crackled, revealing the warm reddish tone of the clay beneath.
At the base, the glaze recedes to expose the unglazed foot, a signature of Linru kiln workmanship.
Produced in Henan for domestic and regional use, Linru wares translate the refined aesthetic of Ru-type celadons into the idiom of northern folk kilns—simple, lucid, and profoundly harmonious.

Physical Description

The vase presents a tall, tapering neck above a six-faceted body that narrows gracefully toward a short foot. The flaring mouth forms a slight trumpet shape, balancing the vessel’s verticality. The soft, geometric planes of the body create a subtle interplay of light and shadow under the glaze.

Glaze, Body & Foot

  • Glaze: The surface is covered with a thin, translucent bean-green glaze, lightly speckled and exhibiting a fine crackle. The glaze pools faintly in recessed areas, producing variations in tone from pale olive to greyish green.
  • Body: The clay body is relatively thick and dense, with a grey-white core and reddish-brown tones visible through thinner glaze areas. The texture indicates a coarser local clay typical of Linru production.
  • Foot: The base is mostly unglazed, revealing the reddish-brown body. The glaze pulls back slightly from the edges, a trait common in Northern Song–Jin folk kilns.

Form & Function

The vessel’s faceted form and narrow mouth suggest use as a display vase or container for floral arrangements. Its elegant simplicity and carefully balanced proportions embody the restrained aesthetic valued during the Song period, when quiet refinement was favored over ornamentation.

Comparisons

Comparable faceted celadon vases from the Linru and Yaozhou kiln systems exhibit similar glaze tones and faceting techniques. Examples in the Henan Provincial Museum and the Palace Museum (Beijing) display related olive-green glazes and six- or eight-lobed profiles, though the Linru examples are typically lighter and less glossy than Yaozhou counterparts.

Features Supporting Attribution

  • Thin, glassy glaze with bean-green hue leaning toward olive-grey.
  • Coarse, reddish-grey body typical of Linru ware.
  • Faceted form uncommon in Ru wares but frequent in northern folk kilns.
  • Exposed foot rim and subtle pooling of glaze.

Attribution Note

The form, glaze texture, and firing traces are consistent with wares produced at the Linru kilns in Ruzhou, Henan Province, active from the Northern Song through the Jin dynasty. These kilns, closely associated with the Yaozhou tradition, supplied functional yet refined celadons for local markets, translating the aesthetic ideals of Ru ware into accessible domestic ceramics.

Proposed Attribution

Northern Song–Jin dynasty, Linru Kiln (臨汝窯), c. 11th–13th century.

References

  • 汝州市文物管理局編，《汝州窯址調查報告》，文物出版社，2006年。
  • 汝窯與臨汝窯比較研究，《中國陶瓷史論集》，北京大學出版社，2012年。
  • Medley, Margaret. The Chinese Potter: A Practical History of Chinese Ceramics. Oxford: Phaidon, 1989.
  • Wood, Nigel. Chinese Glazes: Their Origins, Chemistry, and Recreation. London: A&C Black, 1999.