Jar with incised designs, China

Jar with incised designs, China, Cizhou kilns, Northern Song dynasty, 1025–50. Museum no. C.31-1935

Jar with incised designs
China, Cizhou kilns
Northern Song dynasty, 1025-50
Glazed stoneware with incised slip decoration
Museum no. C.31-1935
Purchased from the Eumorphopoulos Collection with the assistance of The Art Fund, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities' China Committee

Cizhou stonewares were produced across northern China over a long period. Covered with white or cream slip, they had decoration of many different types. Here the design was incised into the slip. It includes a scroll with camellia flowers against a 'ring-matted' background.

The shape is called a meiping, or 'prunus vase', in Chinese. Yet its sturdy body and thick base suggest it was a container for alcohol.

Ewer with blue-tinted glaze, China

Ewer with blue-tinted glaze, China, Jingdezhen, Northern Song dynasty, 1000–1100. Museum no. C.112-1929

Ewer with blue-tinted glaze
China, Jingdezhen
Northern Song dynasty, 1000-1100
Glazed porcelain
Museum no. C.112-1929
H.B. Harris Bequest

The town of Jingdezhen has dominated porcelain production for much of the last millennium. Its potters combined the porcelain stone used for green-glazed stonewares with kaolin. The result, fired to very high temperatures, was of extremely good quality. The kiln conditions were manipulated to create a glassy, blueish-white (qingbai) glaze.

After 1100, qingbai porcelain was exported widely to Asian and Middle Eastern markets, and some eventually reached Europe.

Jar with ivory glaze, China

Jar with ivory glaze, China, Ding kilns, 1000–1200. Museum no. C.37-1935

Jar with ivory glaze
China, Ding kilns
1000-1200
Glazed stoneware with incised decoration
Museum no. C.37-1935
Purchased from the Eumorphopoulos Collection with the assistance of The Art Fund, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities' China Committee.

The whitewares of northern China, called Ding ware, have an ivory glaze. The harmonious proportions and subtle lotus design of the jar are characteristic of the Song period (960-1279), which is widely considered a high point in world ceramic production. Ding ware is one of the Five Great Song Ceramics - the five types made in this period that were highly prized by later Chinese collectors.

Vase with olive-green glaze, China

Vase with olive-green glaze, China, Yaozhou kilns, Northern Song dynasty, 1000–1200. Museum no. C.810-1936

Vase with olive-green glaze
China, Yaozhou kilns
Northern Song dynasty, 1000-1200
Glazed stoneware with carved decoration
Museum no. C.810-1936
Purchased from the Eumorphopoulos Collection with the assistance of The Art Fund, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities' China Committee

Green-glazed stonewares, called celadons in Europe, were first made in southern China. Eventually the technology spread to northern China, and for a brief period after 1000 the products of the Yaozhou kilns in the north outshone their southern competitors.

The decoration was deeply carved. This allowed the glaze to pool in the recesses, intensifying the colour and making the design more legible.

Green-glazed water sprinkler, Korea

Green-glazed water sprinkler, Korea, Koryŏ period, 1150–1200. Museum no. C.743-1909

Green-glazed water sprinkler
Korea
Koryo period, 1150-1200
Glazed stoneware with inlaid decoration
Museum no. C.743-1909

In Sanskrit, this type of water sprinkler is called a kundika. It was introduced to Korea for Buddhist purification ceremonies, but became more widely used.

The decorative willow trees and waterfowl were carved into the half-dry body and filled with two different compounds to create areas of white and black. The inlay technique was a Korean speciality, invented after 1100.

Vase with sky-blue glaze, China

Vase with sky-blue glaze, China, Jun kilns, Northern Song or Jin dynasty, 1100–1200. Museum no. FE.156-1975

Vase with sky-blue glaze
China, Jun kilns
Northern Song or Jin dynasty, 1100-1200
Glazed stoneware, splashed with copper
Museum no. FE.156-1975
Sir John Addis Gift

Jun wares are one of the Five Great Song Ceramics. Although coarsely potted, they are remarkable for their subtly coloured glazes, which are a great technical feat. Careful control of the cooling process allowed pinhole bubbles to form within the glaze. These refract the light, enhancing the glaze colour. Here the visual impact is heightened by a single splash of purple.

Dish with lustre pattern, Iran

Dish with lustre pattern, Iran, probably, Kashan, about 1200. Museum no. C.158-1977

Dish with lustre pattern
Iran, probably Kashan
About 1200
Glazed fritware, with lustre painted over the glaze
Museum no. C.158-1977
Ades Family Collection

The potters of Kashan perfected fritware, which was the closest Middle Eastern potters came to imitating porcelain. Fritware is composed of ground quartz and a little clay and glass.

Some Kashan fritware was decorated with lustre. A Kashan potter, Abu'l-Qasim, wrote in 1301 that, when evenly fired, lustre 'shines like the light of the sun'. This example is unusual in its all-over pattern of stylised plant motifs.

Brown-glazed ewer, Cambodia or north-east Thailand (Khmer empire)

Brown-glazed ewer, Cambodia or north-east Thailand (Khmer empire), 1150–1250. Museum no. FE.130–1978

Brown-glazed ewer
Cambodia or north-east Thailand (Khmer empire)
1150-1250
Glazed stoneware, with incised decoration
Museum no. FE.130-1978

Stoneware was first made in Cambodia after 800, when the Khmer empire was established. Production was concentrated in the Angkor region, the heart of the empire. Most stonewares with an iron-brown glaze have been excavated in north-east Thailand, then an outlying province.

The narrow neck and spout suggest that this pot was a domestic pouring vessel. The handle is in the shape of a small bird.

Tea bowl, China

Tea bowl, China, Jizhou kilns, Southern Song dynasty, 1200–1300. Museum no. C.30-1935

Tea bowl
China, Jizhou kilns
Southern Song dynasty, 1200-1300
Glazed stoneware, with resist decoration
Museum no. C.30-1935
Purchased from the Eumorphopoulos Collection with the assistance of The Art Fund, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities' China Committee

In China, powdered tea replaced leaf tea after 900. The leaf tea looked elegant in green bowls, but the green powdered tea looked more appealing against a dark glaze.

Potters manipulated the firing and cooling processes to create dramatic glaze effects, including this 'hare's fur' type. Here paper cut-outs of phoenixes were applied to the first, darker layer of glaze. They burned off in the firing, leaving their outlines.

Jar with crackled glaze, China

Jar with crackled glaze, China, Guan kilns Southern Song dynasty, 1200–1300. Museum no. C.25-1935

Jar with crackled glaze
China, Guan kilns
Southern Song dynasty, 1200-1300
Glazed stoneware
Museum no. C.25-1935
Purchased from the Eumorphopoulos Collection with the assistance of The Art Fund, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities' China Committee.

In 1126, the Song dynasty lost the northern part of its territories and retreated south to a new capital at Hangzhou. Two new imperial kilns were established nearby for the production of Guan ('official') wares.

Guan wares are distinguished by their crackled glazes, which occur when the glaze shrinks more than the clay body. These were created deliberately, probably by reducing the glaze's silica content.

Green-glazed funerary jar, China

Green-glazed funerary jar, China, Longquan kilns, Southern Song dynasty, 1200–1300. Museum no. C.28-1935

Green-glazed funerary jar
China, Longquan kilns
Southern Song dynasty, 1200-1300
Glazed stoneware
Museum no. C.28-1935
Purchased from the Eumorphopoulos Collection with the assistance of The Art Fund, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities' China Committee

The arrival of the Song court in southern China led to a rise in the quality of green-glazed ceramics produced at Longquan, 300 kilometres south-west of the new capital. The Longquan potters produced finely made wares with glazes of many shades and textures for export markets from Egypt to Japan, as well as for Song courtiers.

This jar was made to contain grain for burial in a tomb.

Wall tile with dragon, Iran

Wall tile with dragon, Iran, probably Takht-i Sulayman, 1270–5. Museum no. C.1970-1910

Wall tile with dragon
Iran, probably Takht-i Sulayman
1270-5
Moulded fritware, with decoration painted into and lustre over the glaze
Museum no. C.1970-1910
George Salting Bequest

The Mongols took control of Iran in 1256-8 and established the Ilkhanid dynasty. They brought with them Chinese imperial symbols such as the phoenix and the dragon, which became popular motifs.

This example was made for the summer palace of Takht-i Sulayman in north-west Iran, which was constructed in the 1270s. The piece would have formed part of a tilework dado, combined with cross-shaped tiles.

Flask with dragon, China

Flask with dragon, China, Jingdezhen, Yuan dynasty, 1300–68. Museum no. C.47-1935

Flask with dragon
China, Jingdezhen
Yuan dynasty, 1300-68
Porcelain, painted before glazing
Museum no. C.47-1935
Purchased from the Eumorphopoulos Collection with the assistance of The Art Fund, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities' China Committee

Blue-and-white decoration originated in the period of Mongol rule (1271-1368), when China was open to outside influences. It was created by applying designs in cobalt - probably a Middle Eastern idea - to a white porcelain body.

Blue-and-white was very successful, at first in export markets and later in China itself. Its introduction marks a revolution in the history of ceramics, as it became the most widely imitated of Chinese wares.

Wall tile, England or France (Normandy)

Wall tile, England or France (Normandy), about 1330. Museum no. C.470–1927

Wall tile
England or France (Normandy)
About 1330
Lead-glazed earthenware, with carved slip decoration
Museum no. C.470-1927

Most decorative tiles in medieval England had stamped designs filled with clay of contrasting colour. Here, however, a more refined design was produced by covering red earthenware with a light-coloured slip, which was cut away and incised.

The tile, probably from a church at Tring, Hertfordshire, is based on manuscript illustrations. It shows Christ resurrecting three children who had died while playing with him and visiting a well, scenes from his childhood described in the apocryphal gospels.

Bowl with paired figures, Iran

Bowl with paired figures, Iran, probably, Kashan, 1180–1220. Museum no. C.85-1918

Bowl with paired figures
Iran, probably Kashan
1180-1220
Glazed fritware, with enamels and gilding over the glaze
Museum no. C.85-1918
Given by Col. Stephenson Clarke, CB

After about 1150, the potters of Kashan in western Iran experimented with a wide range of decorative techniques. In one, called mina'i, coloured enamels and gilding were applied over the glaze. The wide range of colours available allowed potters to reproduce elements of contemporary book illustration.

This bowl shows conversations between five pairs of young men, both seated and on horseback. The accompanying inscriptions contain good wishes.

Green-glazed jug, England

Green-glazed jug, England, Essex, 1300–50. Museum no. C.184-1926

Green-glazed jug
England, Essex
1300-50
Lead-glazed earthenware, with incised slip decoration
Museum no. C.184-1926

Mill Green, where this jug was made, supplied London and other areas with pottery from 1270 to 1350. The jug was made for use at table. It was thinly potted and has a speckled green glaze over a white slip. The base, made separately, was pinched into place. The pinch-marks are both decorative and functional: they reduced surface contact between pots during firing.

Dish with deer, Spain

Dish with deer, Spain, Paterna, 1325–50. Museum no. C.21-1931

Dish with deer
Spain, Paterna
1325-50
Tin-glazed earthenware, with decoration painted into the glaze
Museum no. C.21-1931

From the 8th century to 1492, Spain had both Muslim and Christian rulers. Many cultural exchanges took place, as when Christians adopted the Muslim traditions of making, and eating from, luxury ceramics.

Paterna, near Valencia, specialised in tin-glazed wares painted in manganese and copper (brown and green). The deer design and leafy scrollwork were also Islamic in origin, but had become part of the Christian culture of the Mediterranean.