Jar with floral sprays

Stylized patterns of floral scrolls or panels were rendered on cizhou ware in elaborate compositions which left little space on the background in the early Northern Song. Later on, the dense scheme became less crowded and the design motif less complex. One or two branches, horizontally twining around the shoulder of the ware, broke with the all-over decoration of early wares. This new concept played a leading role in the design of Jin-Yuan cizhou wares (WWZLCK 1983 vol. 7: 175, fig. 2). Here a short-necked, round-bodied jar with two handles is sparsely covered with brown floral sprays.