Stand for a wine cup
960-1126
Buff stoneware, with crackled light bluish green glaze, and a copper edge
Diameter 16.5cm
Museum no. FE.1-1970

Ru wares are among the rarest of Chinese porcelains, for they were produced only for about 20 years. They are named after the famous Ru kilns in Henan province, not far from the Northern Song dynasty's imperial capital of Kaifeng. They are known for their pale bluish and greenish turquoise glazes. There is usually some slight, deliberate crackling of the glaze. This immensely rare stand bears the incised inscription Shou Cheng Dian or Hall of Perfect Old Age, found also on a Ding ware dish in Taipei, which some specialists say is the original inventory mark of a Song palace pavilion. Stands of this form were made for use with tea bowls, and it may well have been handled by the Emperor Huizong (reigned 1101-1126), for whose court much Ru ware was produced. This Emperor was a great tea enthusiast, and even wrote a treatise on the subject.