This stoneware bowl was made in the Changsha kilns of Southern China around the 830s. These kilns produced ceramics on an industrial scale and because the ceramic works were painted by many different artists, the patterns vary greatly. The brown patches framing the designs were applied quickly by dipping the rims of the bowls into glaze. Common designs include clouds, landscapes, birds, flowers, foliage, and spiral patterns. This particular example has the xiangsi'niao motif, a pair of red-billed leiothrix representing marital fidelity, with flowers and clouds.