Height: 21.5 cm; Width: 12 cm
This vase is defined by its tall straight neck, wide flaring rim, and rounded body tapering to a flat base. A jade-like bluish-green glaze, enriched with fine crackle, flows across the surface and pools in natural recesses, accentuating the form. Spur marks beneath record its placement during firing, a hallmark of Ru ware. Produced at the Qingliang Temple kiln, such vessels are among the rarest of Chinese ceramics, embodying the refinement and quiet elegance prized at the Song court.
The vase features a tall, cylindrical neck that rises from broad shoulders above a gently swelling body and flat base. The wide, outward-flaring rim provides balance to the elongated form. The surface is covered in a lustrous bluish-green glaze, translucent and soft in appearance, with a fine network of crackle. The glaze pools subtly at junctions of the neck, shoulder, and foot, accentuating the elegant silhouette. On the underside, small spur marks indicate its placement on kiln supports during firing, revealing the dense, fine-grained clay beneath.
Glaze
The smooth, jade-like texture and bluish tone with fine crackle align with Ru ware characteristics, distinguishing it from the greener hues of Longquan celadon. The glaze appears softer and thinner at the rim, a hallmark of Ru production.
Body & Foot
The compact porcelain body with fine reddish tone beneath the glaze is consistent with Ru wares. Spur marks on the base are typical of Ru kiln supports, often leaving small areas unglazed. Unlike Longquan ware with more robust proportions, Ru vessels are often noted for their restrained elegance.
Form & Function
The long neck and flared rim indicate its function as a vase for display or floral arrangement. Its simplicity of form and luminous glaze exemplify the Ru kiln ideal, where quiet elegance and subtle surface effects were valued above ornament.
Comparable examples of Ru vases are preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing; the National Palace Museum, Taipei; and the British Museum, London. The bluish glaze and delicate crackle align closely with confirmed Ru pieces, while the elegant, elongated form recalls vases in the Sir Percival David Collection at the British Museum. In contrast, Longquan celadons tend toward deeper green hues and more robust proportions, while Guan wares exhibit darker glazes and thicker crackle.
Although definitive attribution to Ru kiln is rare given the small number of surviving examples, this vase strongly aligns with confirmed Ru wares in glaze quality, spur-mark firing traces, and formal elegance. While Longquan and Guan wares share certain surface effects, the combination of glaze tone, translucency, and firing marks supports attribution to Qingliang Temple Ru Kiln.
Song dynasty, Qingliang Temple Ru Kiln (清凉寺汝窑), c. late 11th–early 12th century CE.
