This beautiful stoneware jar with a small neck and ring handles, was used for storing and serving alcohol, and would probably have had a stopper. It belongs to the so-called Cizhou wares, after the name of one of the major centres of production in north China that flourished during the Song- Jin period (960-1234) and the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Cizhou ware was characterised by a decoration consisting of painted, incised, or carved motifs highlighted in black, white or brown on a monochrome ground. In this example, the final pattern is executed by cutting through the glaze to create a strong contrast between the black glaze and the sandy buff coloured body of the jar.