Small stoneware vessel with black glaze, Northern China, Late Song – Jin (12th–13th century)

Small stoneware vessel with a glossy black glaze, low and wide-open, with a rounded body and a thick, overhanging rim. Two applied handles shaped like "ears" are placed high on the shoulder. Each handle is divided into two flared strands.

The deep, glossy black glaze displays variations in tone and reddish areas resulting from the firing process. The foot is largely wheel-thrown and left bare, revealing the beige-grey clay.

On the reverse, the thrown base displays concentric striations and a clean, precise finish from the wheel-throwing. Inside, the glaze is thinner in places, and the base retains small dot firing marks, consistent with firing on supports. The ware as a whole corresponds to the black-glazed stoneware productions of northern China, often associated with the Henan/Cizhou groups, and generally dated between the late Song and Jin periods.

Northern China, Late Song – Jin, 12th–13th century.

stoneware, black glaze.

Dimensions : height approx. 10 cm; diameter of the base approx. 9–10 cm; height of the neck approx. 2–3 cm.

This piece belongs to the corpus of Chinese black-glazed ceramics, prized for the density of their glaze and the simplicity of their traditional utilitarian forms. It is equally suitable for display in a collection or for contemporary decorative use.