Incense burner, glazed stoneware, Yaozhou ware, north China, Jin dynasty (1115-1234). Height: 16.5 cm, Diameter: 18.6 cm. C.282-1910.  © V&A Images.

This incense burner is an example of Yaozhou wares. The wares produced at the Yaozhou kiln complex enjoyed popularity from the end of the Tang dynasty (618-906) through to the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), however, this incense burner exhibits the green glaze and stoneware body produced there during the Northern Song (960-1127) and Jin (1115-1234) Dynasties.

The glaze that gives the green hue and shiny texture to this object is known as a celadon. Celadons are feldspathic glazes which derive their colour from the presence of iron oxide when fired in a reduction atmosphere (one with very little oxygen). When applied, the glaze pooled into any crevices and ran thin over the raised areas and at the edges. After firing, areas where the glaze ran thick were an opaque olive green and the thinly covered surfaces emerged a paler hue. In this case, the glaze is crazed slightly, meaning that during firing, the body expanded further than the glaze, giving an underlying crackled texture to the shiny surface of the glaze.

Bibliographic References: Kerr, Rose. Song Dynasty Ceramics. London: V&A Publications, 2004. p. 58, no. 54.