Yellow glaze water dropper with water-ripple melon edge and copper-gilding handle in the Northern Song Dynasty. H:14cm

This kettle is small and exquisite, small but massy in shape. It is simple and decent, with melon-shaped belly in short flow. In addition, its lid and handle are re-made from metal and such modification was made too long ago. In order to match the melon-ridged decoration, the kettle lid is also in the shape of ridged melon. It is obvious that the modification craft has been accompanied with exquisite design and fabrication, thus reaching a good match. Jiurutang in Hong Kong collected a piece of black glaze kettle of the Song Dynasty in the shape of iron mottling ridged melon. Its design closely resembles this one. This kettle is yellow-glazed in its whole body, and the glaze layer is of strong glass quality showing full maroon with massy chroma and texture. The tread of the kettle body is decorated with special style and near the mouth of the kettle is seal pattern and jump-cut water ripples. Three string lines are carved at the shoulder of the kettle and the rest is bordered by ridged melon with decoration in the shape of jump-cut water ripples. This kind of decoration was only found in archaeological excavation at the tower foot of Jingzhi Temple of Ding County in Hebei Province in the early Northern Song Dynasty. A large number of delicate kiln ceramics were unearthed from the palace of Jingzhi Temple in the second year of Peace and Rejuvenating of the Northern Song Dynasty (977AD.) Meanwhile, several pieces of low temperature yellow and green glaze fabrications are unearthed. The net vase of the green glaze (Picture 1) and the covered jar of the yellow glaze (Picture 2) are in line with the decoration of pattern and mold glaze of this kettle, that is, the decoration of seal pattern and jump-cut water ripple shape. The enamel quality and ornamentation of this yellow glaze is quite typical. And another kind of enamel quality yellow-glazed kettle with the shape of parrot was unearthed simultaneously. No agreement has been entered on whether they were produced in Ding Kiln. In recent years, during the reconstruction of the old cities in Zhengzhou, Henan and other cities, the low temperature yellow-glazed fabrications similar to that of Jingzhi Temple in Ding County were also unearthed (Picture 4). Observed from the mold, enamel and the ornamentation craft, this kettle is most likely the product from a certain kiln factory in the center of Henan Province. The little yellow-glazed jar with green spots collected in Meiyintang with its ornamentation similar to this kettle is conjectured to be the product from the same kiln. Except for this, such type of kettle has neither been passed down from ancient times nor collected by the public or private owners at home and abroad, which makes it the sole unique one that has ever been seen.

  Picture 1 Black-glazed kettle with iron mottling in the shape of ridged melon with a height of 17.0cm. The ceramics collected in Jiurutang of Hong Kong

Picture 2 Green-glazed net vase The second year of Peace and Rejuvenating Northern Song Dynasty (977AD.)   Unearthed from the tower foot of Jingzhi Temple

Picture 3 Covered jar of yellow glaze The second year of Peace and Rejuvenating Northern Song Dynasty (977AD.)  Unearthed from the tower foot of Jingzhi Temple

Picture 4 Parrot-style kettle of yellow-glazed The second year of Peace and Rejuvenating Northern Song Dynasty (977AD.)  Unearthed from the tower foot of Jingzhi Temple

Picture 5 The remnant parrot-style kettle of yellow-glazed Unearthed from East and West Avenue of Zhenzhou City

Picture 6 Yellow-glazed jar collected in Meiyintang Height 12cm