Water Container Covered with Lujun Glaze

This water container is covered with lujun glaze, a blue glaze featuring unpredictable changes from firing conditions. It has a flaring mouth and a sagging stomach. The center of the foot ring is incised with a four-character Yongzheng reign mark in seal script (li shu). The lujunglaze, which is a low-temperature flambé, needs to be fired twice. An imitation of the Song dynasty Jun glaze, it was innovated by the imperial kiln at Jingdezhen in the Yongzheng reign. The extant wares and archives reveal that the lujun glaze with Yongzheng reign marks combined blue with either white or red, and then were fired with different oxygen atmosphere in the kiln to create various amazing patterns. The fresh shape and refined design makes this water container a rare masterpiece.