Antique vase Cizhou Qing #1

Cizhou ceramics appeared during the Song Dynasty period (960 - 1279) and production lasted until the 16th century. Traditionally, a transparent glaze was applied to a white engobe( clay) with simple and elegant shapes. Decorative motifs were carved directly into the engobe and then left as such or painted brown. In these decorations, floral motifs dominate but also fish, birds or landscapes with different characters.

Cizhou potters were highly creative, using carving, incising, combing, inlaying, stamping, underglaze painting and overglaze enamelling to decorate their wares. Very often two or more these techniques are combined to decorate single object. 

The austere aesthetic of these jars refers to the Confucian ideas that the Song particularly valued.