A Celadon-glazed ZHANG GONG XIANG Dish

Delicately potted in round shape, with an everted rim and a shallow belly, the dish rises from a flat bottom to smoothly curved body, and is supported on a short foot ring; it was baked on spurs and covered overall in celadon glaze, only leaving five tiny spur marks in the bottom evenly distributed along the foot ring; the glaze presents celestial azure blue with a hint of green and is fully covered in small crackles on the surface.

According to Sun-Bathing Notes by Gu, Wenjian, “in the Xuanhe and Zhenghe Periods, an imperial kiln was set within the courtyard, also known as ‘kiln GUAN’”; therefore, it is a commonly accepted knowledge that kiln GUAN had been established in the reign of Emperor Huizong in the Northern Song Dynasty, however, its specific location hadn’t been verified until the excavation at Zhang Gong Xiang from 2000 to 2004. Many experts believe that kiln ZHANG GONG XIANG is the legendary “kiln GUAN” in the Northern Song Dynasty.