This Qingbai bowl is the first serious purchase from my collection. I saw it in a high- end shop, and couldnt forget about it. I saved up for it for almost a year, and when I returned to the shop, it was there waiting for me. It was the beginning of a friendship with the very knowledgeable seller, who tought me a lot since then. Although it set me back two months wages then, I never regretted this purchase.

The bowl measures 18,5 cm across, and stands 5,5 cm high.It is made from a very fine greyish high fired porcelain, covered in the famous Qingbai, or Yingqing, shadow blue glaze. The walls are very thin and the bowl weighs 275 grams. It dates from the Song dynasty, 11th to 12th century. The decor is hand carved in the wet clay, and depicts two boys amongst (peony) flowers.

The bowl was fired upright, in contrary to others that are fired upside down which have an unglazed rim.The bowl is possibly from Jingdezhen kilns,Jianxi province.

The glaze has no crazing, but has tiny bubbles. A lot of Qingbai glazes are crackled, but it is not a rule.

Held against the light the bowl is translucent.The glaze has a few imperfections from iron in the clay.

close-up from the rim

One of the abstracted boys, probably fertility symbols.