Celadon-Glazed Meiping Vase with Horizontal Raised Bands

A celadon-glazed meiping vase with raised horizontal bands, attributed to Guan ware of the Song Dynasty, the official kilns that made ceramics for the imperial court.

No painting, no colour, just form and glaze. Soft rounded ribs circle the body from shoulder to foot, under a thick grey-green to pale blue-green glaze with a natural ice-crackle. On the base, larger and finer cracks overlap ("gold thread and iron wire"), and where the glaze thins, the dark body shows through: the famous "purple mouth and iron foot" (紫口铁足) of Guan ware.

The vase follows the classic meiping form, with a small mouth, short neck, broad shoulders, tapering body, and circular foot. As a form associated with courtly wares, its restrained proportions convey a sense of composure and dignity, reflecting the understated solemnity and refined aesthetic characteristic of Song-dynasty Guan ware.

The entire vessel is covered in a celadon glaze of subtle grey-green to pale bluish-green tones. Its surface is traversed by a naturally formed network of ice-crackle crazing, with intersecting fissures of varying depth and tonal intensity creating a richly layered effect. The resulting texture evokes the celebrated “ice-like and jade-like” quality associated with Ge ware, combining understated elegance with a distinctive tactile and visual depth.

The body is encircled by a series of raised horizontal bands, their softly rounded contours avoiding sharp or angular definition. The restrained linear ornament follows the vessel’s profile with smooth, flowing transitions, reflecting the influence of traditional wheel-thrown forms and archaic ceramic design. This understated treatment is characteristic of Song-dynasty Guan ware, where subtle relief harmonises functional form with refined aesthetic appeal.

The base is characteristic of Guan ware, with a thick celadon glaze extending over the foot ring. The glaze is of a subdued grey-green tone and is traversed by a dense network of ice-crackle crazing, with fissures of varying scale interwoven throughout. Prominent larger cracks are accompanied by finer secondary fissures, producing the characteristic “civil and martial crackle” (wenwu kaipian) associated with Guan ware. Along the edge of the foot, where the glaze thins, the dark brown body is revealed, creating the celebrated “purple mouth and iron foot” (zikou tiezu) effect. The substantial glaze has a soft, jade-like lustre, its restrained sheen enhancing the vessel’s quiet and dignified character without any harsh surface glare.