Other Ceramics in National Palace Museum, part3

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of ceramics from the Song dynasty! Here you can find a wide variety of ceramic artifacts, from Pillow in the shape of a recumbent child with white glaze, Ding ware to Tea Caddy with Gold Tracery Decoration of "Continuous Happiness" Symbols on a Red Ground. We also have Black pottery stemcup, Cocoon-shaped Hu, Bowl with sky-blue glaze and purple splashes, Jun ware, Ju-i Pillow with Azure Glaze and Purple Splashes, Jun ware, Celadon Stembowls, Ko ware, White pottery guei-pitcher and Bowl in black glaze with "hare's fur" striations. These artifacts are all unique and provide us with an insight into the culture and lifestyle of people during this period. Come explore these amazing pieces today!

1. Pillow in the shape of a recumbent child with white glaze, Ding ware

In the Tang dynasty, most people used ceramic pillows that were either glazed with three colors, or were brown, black, or changsha bronze. There were two types of these pillows, one for sleeping and the other for taking a pulse.

2. Tea Caddy with Gold Tracery Decoration of "Continuous Happiness" Symbols on a Red Ground

This jar was probably used to hold tea.

3. Black pottery stemcup

The Shandon Longshan Culture developed a technique for making ceramic objects using a potting wheel. This allowed them to make vessels with very thin walls, which could be carved with openwork patterns. This type of pottery became known as "egg-shell pottery".

4. Cocoon-shaped Hu

This piece of black pottery has a body in the shape of a silkworm cocoon. The outer surface of the vessel is decorated with multiple sets of parallel lines, in between which are engraved ninety characters of a poem written by the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795).

5. Bowl with sky-blue glaze and purple splashes, Jun ware

This water jar has a wide, deep mouth and a slightly flaring lower body. The center of the base has a sharp protruding point. The jar is covered with sky-blue glaze and has a linear crackle pattern.

6. Ju-i Pillow with Azure Glaze and Purple Splashes, Jun ware

This pillow is made of porcelain and is in the shape of the "ju-i" symbol. On the flat base, there is a poem written by the Qianlong Emperor in 1776.

7. Celadon Stembowls, Ko ware

Ko ware is a type of light celadon with distinctive crackling. High-stemmed cups and bowls were produced in large quantities during the Yuan dynasty.

8. White pottery guei-pitcher

Pottery was an important artifact in ancient civilizations. In China, sage rulers during high antiquity emphasized the importance of pottery-making as a skill for the people's livelihood. From an archaeological perspective, pottery production first appeared in various places during the Neolithic period.

9. Bowl in black glaze with "hare's fur" striations

The bowl has a flared mouth and deep belly walls.