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CHINESE OBJECTS FROM THE COLLECTION
Chinese Bronzes of the Shang and Zhou Periods
Han Dynasty Bronzes
Early Chinese Ceramics
Sculpture from Tombs
Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
Tang and Liao Dynasty Metalwork
Ceramics of the Song and Jin Periods
Porcelains of the Yuan and Early Ming Periods
Imperial Chinese Ceramics of the 15th Century
Ceramics of the Late Ming Period
Qing Dynasty Porcelain
Landscape Painting in China
Jade and Lacquer in China
Bowl
China, Hebei Province; Northern Song period (960-1127), 11th - early 12th century
Porcelain with incised design under glaze, the rim bound with copper (Ding ware)
H. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm); D. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm)
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art
1979.139
This delicate bowl decorated with an incised pattern of lotus flowers and leaves exemplifies Ding wares of the 11th and 12th centuries. It has a thinly potted, extraordinarily light buff-colored body, a warm ivory-colored glaze, and lively and precise incised decoration. Examples of Ding ware from this period are considered the high point in the development of this ceramic type, which was produced from the 8th through the 13th (or 14th) centuries.

The kilns producing Ding ware are generally credited with several important innovations in ceramic technology including the upside-down firing technique, which helps prevent ceramics from warping during firing, and the use of stepped saggars. A saggar is a clay box used to hold an individual piece during firing. The invention of stepped saggars allowed the Ding potters to place ceramics one on top of the other in a single saggar, thereby increasing the number of pieces that could be produced in a firing. This was particularly important in the production of Ding wares, which are among the thinnest ceramics produced in China. In order to prevent them from sticking to the saggars, the mouths of pieces were not glazed; the copper band fitted to the mouth of this bowl covers the unglazed rim.

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