Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
China, Room 44, The T.T. Tsui Gallery

Dish

1115-1234 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This dish is an example of Yaozhou wares typical of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). While the wares produced at the Yaozhou kiln complex enjoyed popularity from the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-906) through to the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), this dish exhibits the olive green glaze and carved designs common to the Yaozhou wares of the Northern Song period.

Yaouzhou objects were often decorated by creating intaglio floral designs into their surface, either by carving or through the use of moulds. A green celadon glaze was then applied, and allowed to pool into the crevices of the clay, and to run thin over any raised areas and at the edges. After firing, areas where the glaze ran thick were an opaque olive green and thin areas allowed for the golden brown tone of the body to show through, creating the range of tones visible in this dish.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Stoneware, with olive green glaze and carved decoration
Brief description
Dish with lion pedestal, glazed stoneware, Yaozhou ware, China, Jin dynasty (1115-1234)
Physical description
Yaozhou ware high-footed dish with lion pedestal. Flowers and floiage decorations on interior.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 11.2cm
  • Height: 7cm
Style
Gallery label
Dish on lion pedestal Jin dynasty (1115-1234) Yaozhou kilns, north China Stoneware with olive green (celadon) glaze Museum no.C.98-1939 From the Eumorfopoulos collection(2007)
Credit line
Eumorfopoulos Collection
Object history
Notes on significance: Acquired as northern Chinese, Song dynasty: deemed modern, probably Japanese by John Ayers. Eumorfopoulos Collection.

Rose Kerr, in her book Song Dynasty Ceramics (2004, V&A) re-attributes this object as Yaozhou ware of the Jin dynasty.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This dish is an example of Yaozhou wares typical of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). While the wares produced at the Yaozhou kiln complex enjoyed popularity from the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-906) through to the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), this dish exhibits the olive green glaze and carved designs common to the Yaozhou wares of the Northern Song period.

Yaouzhou objects were often decorated by creating intaglio floral designs into their surface, either by carving or through the use of moulds. A green celadon glaze was then applied, and allowed to pool into the crevices of the clay, and to run thin over any raised areas and at the edges. After firing, areas where the glaze ran thick were an opaque olive green and thin areas allowed for the golden brown tone of the body to show through, creating the range of tones visible in this dish.
Bibliographic references
  • Hobson, R.L. The George Eumorfopoulos collection II: catalogue of the Chinese, Corean and Persian pottery and porcelain. London: E. Benn, Ltd., 1925-1928. B173.
  • Kerr, Rose. Song Dynasty Ceramics. London: V&A Publications, 2004. p. 57, no. 52.
Collection
Accession number
C.98-1939

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdFebruary 12, 2000
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest