The shallow, rounded sides supported on a short straight foot, moulded on the interior with a continuous scene of ducks among waves. Thinly potted in a porcelain-like clay and covered overall in a creamy-white glaze save for an unglazed ring in the interior and the base. This dish was likely made at the Houzhou kilns in Shanxi Province. The kiln was renowned for producing fine quality white wares inspired by the celebrated Ding wares of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127).
Houzhou kilns
Archaeologists discoverd the ancient Huozhou kilns in Chencun, on the western bank of the Fenhe River, in the 1970s. Shards and kiln tools were found scattered in abundance along the riverbanks, a sign that the ancient kilns of Huozhou were of a relatively large scale. The multiple surveys done from the 1970s to 1990s helped give experts an idea of the Huozhou kiln complex. Bun-shaped kilns and brick caves for unburnt earthenware for drying were discovered. The sites were buried underground and depths between 1.5 and 5 meters. The white-glazed porcelain shards retrieved included bowls, plates, dishes, vases, pots and stem-cups. The wares are for the most part plain and undecorated, with a small quantity displaying moulded designs.
These findings filled an archaeological gap. While it had been widely believed that North China did not produce white porcelain wares when the Jin Dynasty ended, the discovery of the Huozhou kilns site showed that white porcelain was fired in North China until the Ming Dynasty.
After the collapse of the Jin Dynasty, the importance of North China as a porcelain production center diminished rapidly, with Houzhou being an exception. Here, high quality white wares were produced from Jin to the Ming dynasty. Huozhou wares were also unearthed in Khanbaliq (Dadu) and ancient Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol empire. The discoveries indicate that porcelain products fired at Huozhou kilns were traded at the "high-end market", and likely used at the court of the Yuan Dynasty, according to the scholars Yu Luyang and Zhu Xinhai. A large quantity of poorly glazed, roughly made stoneware, probably meant for everyday use, has also been excavated.
Period: Jin/Yuan dynasty (13th-14th Century)
Size: Diameter 9.1 cm, height 3.4 cm
Condition: Good condition, wear and firing flaws, no cracks or repairs
Provenance: From a Swedish collection
SKU: 219
References: See similar bowls with the same decoration in Jin Shines and Jin Memory -The Glory of Sanjin Kiln Flame, Yan, Yan, 2013, p. 256-.259.
See also a related bowl in the Kempe collection illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Carl Kempe Collection, Gyllensvärd, Bo, 1964, p. 137, no. 432 (see drawing)
More info: Northern White Ware
