Pillow

Green lead-glazed ware is one of at least nineteen categories of Cizhou ceramics. Pillows represent the largest subgroup of the green-glazed technique. The bean shaped headrest is freely carved in the center with a ribbon-tied spray of lotus and sagittarius blossoms against a dense ground of scrolling vine motif. A great many ceramic pillows were produced at the Cizhou kilns in southern Hebei province between the tenth and fourteenth centuries. At first considered items made only for burial, it is now confirmed that ceramic pillows were used domestically and inscriptions mention their use as gifts for newly-married couples and as congratulatory objects.