China, Southern Song Dynasty, Large Qingbai Bowl With Underglaze Incised Decoration

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Large conical eggshell bowl with qingbai glaze (bluish-white).
Glazed stoneware. Incised underglaze decoration of boys playing among peonies.
China, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

Dimensions: Diameter 22 cm.

Condition report: Excellent condition, no chips or cracks.

Qingbai ceramics are one of the last major types of ceramics produced by the Southern Song Dynasty before its fall. This type of ceramic, which appeared during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), is made from a body of high-fired vitrified stoneware, obtained by adding fusible feldspathic materials to the clay to allow for this vitrification (the "petuntse"). This glaze is primarily composed of petuntse (65%) and a mixture of lime and alumina (35%).
Rich in flux, the glaze is very fluid. Furthermore, its iron oxide content gives it a soft bluish hue, revealed during reduction firing, which takes place at around 1220-1260°C. Like contemporary celadons, Qinqbai ceramics can be decorated using molded, stamped, or incised under the glaze.

Our rather large, conical example features incised under the glaze decoration covering most of its surface. This decoration, in a distinctly organic and kinetic style, is particularly representative of Song fashion in ceramics. It depicts two boys symmetrically playing among stylized peonies (the latter perfectly in the style of the rival Jin and Southern Song dynasties). It exhibits a firing defect quite common for this type of ceramic: due to the fluidity of the glaze mentioned earlier, it ran during firing, revealing the reddish oxidation of the body and making the incised decoration less visible. Nevertheless, because of the body's thinness, which could be described as eggshell-like, even a passing light is enough to appreciate the delicacy and balance of the decoration. Furthermore, beautiful, very gentle firing cracks are visible in the areas where the glaze is thickest.