Basin
Unknown Artist
1127–1279
Medium
porcelaneous stoneware, Guan ware
Dimensions
diam. 24.2 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1957.48
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Guan ware was the official ware fired at the Southern Song imperial kilns in Hangzhou. Multiple glazing is characteristic of this ware. The total thickness of the glaze can be greater than the clay body that supports it. Here, the thick gray-green glaze is webbed with a wide network of dark brown crackles as well as finer webs of light golden-brown and colorless crackles. The crackle pattern was developed after firing, due to the different rates of expansion and contraction of the body and the g...