Celadon narcissus basin, Northern Song dynasty, Late 11th-early 12th century, Ru ware. Height (cm) 5.6; Mouth Diameter (cm) 22.0×15.5; Weight (g) 656. The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka (gift of SUMITOMO Group, the ATAKA Collection), photograph by MUDA Tomohiro (Accession No. 00564). © The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka

The Ru kiln was producing celadon for the court during the end of the Northern Song dynasty and the number of extant works that are attributed to Ru kiln are approximately 90 in the world. The location of the Ru kiln has long been a mystery until in 2000 a kiln which produced court ware was discovered in Qingliangsi Buddhist temple, Baofeng County, Henan Province. A basin like this example, having an oval-shaped body and four legs, is known as a "narcissus basin." There are

four other renowned examples in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei. The mouth rim has been bound with a copper band in order to cover the area which had been trimmed to adjust the slightly chipped section. The base is also glazed, revealing six spur marks in the shape of a sesame seed, which is one of the characteristics of Ru ware. It displays a typical sky-blue color, with the base having an exceptionally beautiful tone.