Bottle vase (tianqiu ping)

This bottle vase, known as tianqiu ping (‘Vase resembling the rounded celestial sphere’), is coveted for its rich lustrous magenta and oxblood flambé glaze with lavender and blue streaks. These result from copper or other metallic materials that break up in the firing process and flow down the surface as the glaze liquifies in the heat of the kiln. The glaze creates a great abstract effect, and it is impossible to find two identical pieces even in the same shape, because the method is not entirely controllable.