Wine Cup with Stand

The Song dynasty (960-1279) saw a tremendous increase in the production of fine, white stoneware and porcelain began to be made in kilns throughout north and south China. The most important group of southern white ware came from the Jingdezhen kilns in Jiangxi province. Known as qingbai (bluish-white), it had a fine, white paste and was wood-fired in a reducing atmosphere. Totally lacking decoration, this thin-walled wine cup and accompanying saucer-stand rely entirely on purity of form and color for their aesthetic impact. Although the best qingbai ceramics were light, elegant, and thin-walled with translucent gemlike, blue-tinted glaze, the ware was not greatly appreciated by the Chinese court.