Title
Shard
Year/Period
12th-13th centuries
Region
Hangzhou prefecture, Zhejiang province, China
Material
Dimension
Object size: 0.6 x 4.3 x 5.4 cm
Accession No.
1998-01108
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Mason Wang
This shard was previously part of a Guan (官) or ‘official’ ware. It is undecorated and is covered in a lavender-blue, crackled glaze.Guan wares are thought to be a continuation of the northern ‘guan yao’ (‘official ware’), also known as Ru wares. The production of Ru wares ended with the Northern Song dynasty (960-1126). Guan wares were produced for the court after the capital had moved south to Hangzhou. They are located near to Longquan kilns, which supplemented supplies when demand was high.Guan ware is esteemed as one of ‘the five great wares of China’ by connoisseurs in the Southern Song, Ming and Qing dynasties.
