Yellow-glazed Jar with Green Stripes and Lotus-petal Design

This vessel was unearthed in 1958 from Li Yun’s grave at Puyan of Henan province. Li Yun was a general of the North Qi dynasty, who was buried in 576 (the 7th year of Wuping reign). This vessel has pure white walls, regular shape, and the glaze decoration represents a breakthrough, achieving a single color. This is the foundation for the later tricolor art of the Tang dynasty (618-960). The honeysuckle and lotus petal pattern is an assemblage from Buddhist art. Lead yellow glaze is a kind of low-temperature glaze. The surface is glossy and the layer is even and transparent. Since the hardness is low, it is easily nicked and its chemical stability is low. Traditional low-temperature glazes are in green, yellow, blue, or red colors.