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Bowl

12th century

China, Shaanxi Province

Stoneware with carved and combed design under glaze (Yaozhou ware)

H. 2 1/2 x Diam. 4 in. (6.4 x 10.2 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.135

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The structured and somewhat abstract decoration that was quickly carved on the exterior of this slightly rounded bowl typifies the rather dense and static decoration found on Yaozhou wares made in northern China during the 12th century. Yaozhou wares have light gray bodies, thick olive-green glazes, and are noted for their deeply carved designs. Their glaze is usually classified in the West as "celadon," a name derived from the name of a character in a 17th-century French play who wore a green costume. Green glazes are derived from iron oxides and are relatively easy to produce; they were among the first glazes created in China.