Five-footed Washer, Ge ("elder brother") Ware, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). Height 9.2 cm, Diameter of mouth 18.8 cm, Diameter of base 7.7 cm; Weight: 950 g © Shanghai Museum

Ge Ware is one of the five famous wares of the Song dynasty, also the only one with its location yet to be found. This washer, with a thick body and smooth glaze of beige, is covered in crackles of different sizes on the surface of its glaze. As the big black crackles and small yellow ones are interwoven with each other, the pattern is called Jin Si Tie Xian meaning golden threads interwoven with iron wires. With its refined and structured craft and its dignified and elegant shape, this piece is a typical extant work of Ge Ware.