Rust-colored glaze is a special technique associated with northern China's Yaozhou kiln during the Song and Jin dynasties. It involves glazing an object black, and then applying an extra layer of coloring agent made from banhuashi, an ore high in iron oxide, to add patterns as an adornment. When the vessel is burned at high temperatures, the iron crystals will give the decorative designs their characteristic russet color and mottled appearance. This jar has a deep, curved belly, a lipped edge, and a round foot. Two miniature handles are attached to the shoulder. The body has a finish of black glaze, and is embellished with broad, rusty-colored vertical stripes all round the bowl. The item boasts an unpretentious beauty, and is a genuinely unique specimen of russet-splashed black-glazed Yaozhou ware.

H: 13.5 cm