Ju Ware Bowl in the Shape of a Lotus

Tags: celadon | ceramics | National Palace Museum | Northern Sung

This ten-lobed lotus bowl has gently curved sides, a subtly flaring rim, smooth transition from one petal lobe to the next, and a relatively tall ring foot. The blue-green glaze, from rim to the base, is uniformly thin and opaque, with fine crackling. During firing, this piece was supported by five tiny points underneath the ring foot, and these are the only parts of the body not covered by the glaze. At these points, it is possible to make out the grayish-yellow unglazed ceramic body. 

Northern Sung period (960-1126)
Height: 10.4 cm, diameter: 16.2 cm,
diameter of base: 8.1 cm, depth: 7.6 cm, weight: 465 g
 

Text: Ts'ai Mei-fen

National Palace Museum