Vase (meiping) with lotus motif

The decoration on this cizhou-type vase was incised and punched first, then coated with a layer of colored slip on the body, which filled in stitches of the ornamentation. The slip on the surface was then cleaned up, and finally the surface was glazed. The result reveals the white colored motif with brownish outlines. A variation of cizhou ware, this type, with its ring-punched decoration, required a labor-intensive procedure, as the tiny rings had to be punched one by one. Kilns at Mixian in Henan and Cixian in Hebei started producing this type in the late tenth century (Inst. Sil. 1982: 249; WW 1990.4: 5-8). Both its shape and ornament are typical of the workmanship of dengfeng craftsmen in Henan (ZGMS Quanji 1988 vol. 2: pl. 182). The oval body opens to a slightly flaring mouth and the lotus motif is set off by a floral scroll frieze on the vessel's shoulder with lotus panels below.