Celadon Vase with Bowstring Decoration, Guan Ware

The vase is in imitation of a Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) bronze vessel. Each side of its high foot ring is pierced with an oblong hole for lacing. The thick, unctuous glaze in powder blue has the feeling of softly-polished jade. The vase has a subtle decoration: seven bowstrings rise from the stomach up to the neck. Most of the vase is covered in a pattern of large crackle that was induced during firing. The elegant shape and large-size crackle pattern exemplify Guan ware in the Song dynasty.