Explore the Background of this artwork.
The Song Dynasty (960-1279) marked a new period of artistic design, with ceramics reaching new levels of perfection and popularity. One such ceramic style known as Cizhou wares, were produced at kilns across northern China, ranging from the Ningxia to Shandong provinces. The name of this style is derived from the largest manufacturing kilns in the Hebei and Henan provinces, which were located in a region known as Cizhou during the Northern Song dynasty, located in present-day Cixian county. Cizhou ceramics were created to withstand continuous daily use and were manufactured in large enough quantities to be accessible to the general populace. As a result, Cizhou-wares have come to be called "the people’s ware." One result of these wares being considered folk art, is that the potters were able to experiment with new techniques and designs, utilizing both glaze and slip processes as well as brush painting designs. This Cizhou vase featured at the Indianapolis Museum of Art serves as an example of a glaze and slip etching technique, while Cizhou-wares created in later periods often featured brush paintings placed directly on the slip with a protective glaze overcoat.Overall, Cizhou wares have one of the longest histories of all the ceramic styles. This style is noted for having been produced continuously from the 10th century onward, with significant manufacture rates during the Northern Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties.
Hebei Jin Song dynasty Cizhou ware Cixian Ningxia kilns Song Dynasty Indianapolis Museum of Art Northern Song dynasty Henan Shandong Yuan