Vase with Peonies and Five Spouts

"In full autumn wind and dew the kilns of Yue open; And a thousand peaks are despoiled of their halcyon green" (translated by S. W. Bushell). These 9th-century poetic lines glorify the highly prized green-glazed Yue wares of the Tang period. This later example has a pale green glaze that is glassy and consistent, which indicates a precise control of the glaze components as well the kiln atmosphere by reducing the amount of oxygen at some stage during the firing.