Celadon Brush Washer with Twin Fish

The brush washer’s exterior wall is carved in relief in a pattern of chrysanthemum petals. Craftsmen pierced the brim with two pairs of holes on opposite sides for attaching metal rings for carrying. A pair of carved fish is applied to the center of the interior. The fish are so naturally carved that they seem to be swimming in the washer. The celadon color is pure and soothing. Porcelain ware with such elements typifies Longquan kiln products of the Southern Song.
The Longquan kiln was the largest non-official kiln complex in south China. It produced porcelain ware from the beginning of the Northern Song (960-1127) and reportedly ceased to produce celadon after the eighteenth century. The Longquan district became a bustling center for ceramics after the Southern Song court moved to Hangzhou in 1135. During the Southern Song and Yuan dynasties (twelfth to fourteenth century), products of the Longquan kiln proliferated in shape and were perfected in quality. Longquan ware was sold all over China and, by the Southern Song, was exported in quantity throughout Asia from Japan to Indonesia, and west as far as Egypt. The finest Longquan pieces, which were made during the Southern Song, bear subtle decorations. Their beauty drives from elegant shapes cloaked in multi-layered, jade-like glazes of lustrous blue-green.