Vase

Among Hebei cizhou-type wares produced during the Song, meiping vases won special praise for their tall proportions and black decorations on white ground. The demand for such vases was stimulated by a popular social pastime during the Yuan of wine drinking. Production of meiping increased all over the country during this time, as witnessed by finds of such works in monochrome glaze or with overglazed and underglazed decorations. The shape was commonly used at the Yuan court, as can be seen from the inscriptions neifu ("inner palace") on a piece from the capital ruins in Beijing (KG 1972.6: 10). The rather coarse, thick body with glaze flows around the foot are common among Yuan jun wares. This meiping features a small mouth and a wide shoulder tapering to a slightly flaring foot.