Beehive-shaped Vase

The short broad shape of this vessel, often described as a truncated bottle (tulu ping), is also found in celadon wares and brown glaze ceramics of the Song period (960-1280). The various Cizhou kilns of North China evolved an incredible variety of decorative techniques during this era. This bottle displays the brown and white coloration of most Cizhou ware but the combination of an incised pattern overlaid with a white slip which, in turn, is painted with brown floral decor is somewhat unusual. As Cizhou was not a court controlled ware, potters were free to experiment with different designs and techniques.