Large Antique 17-18th Century Ci-Zhou Glazed Jar with Wide Open Rim. This one has beautiful design and shape though the cream glaze is worn.

This large size 17th century white glazed ware came from the famous Cizhou kiln (磁州窑), one of the five famous Chinese kilns or glazes. Cizhou ware is most known for having been produced in northern China, primarily in Hebei, Henna, Shandong, and Shanxi. The name of Cizhou (磁州) came from a location in Hebei Province. Cizhou ware is known for its thick white or cream-white glaze with paintings of brush strokes or carved design. The brush work mostly are painted in a dark brown, almost black, color in various shades, freely painted in its artistry like that in some of the traditional Chinese brush paintings. It is said to be the first pottery ware created with decorative colors and design while all other four kilns out of the famous five produced almost exclusively wares with singular color glaze during the same period of time dating back to Northern Song (960-1127) .

Although Cizhou ware later on was also produced for the imperial use such as during the Ming Dynasty, it is mostly known for being produced for utilitarian wares. Cizhou wares were among the most popular porcelain wares in northern China at its peak during the Song, Jin, and Yuan Dynasty (宋金元) .One often compared it to the Jing-De-Zhen ware in the South. Cizhou kiln also produced what was called “green ware” .

A successfully fired Cizhou ware would have a very thick and even white or cream-white glaze in color with a good shine. The cream-white glaze often shows a soft glaze like the old patina on an old white jade piece that glows in its subtlety with a pleasant feel to the eyes. Although the cream glaze on this jar is already worn and with some loss through time, one can still appreciate its free and beautiful brush strokes and its superb shape in design.

Because this type of jars were mostly produced as utilitarian ware by quantity, finding ones that were perfectly painted, shaped, and fired successfully for its size could be challenging. This is a beautiful pottery.

Dimensions: 15 1/2" Diameter (widest part) x 25 1/2" H

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