Spring jade pot with white-glazed inscribed flower painting by Cizhou Kiln in Song Dynasty. H:31.5cm

The shape of spring jade pot has evolved from the net vase of Tang Dynasty. Its basic structure includes flaring mouth, thin neck, drooping belly and feet ring, which is the type of vase using changeable and flexible arc as the contour line. Spring jade pot is a typical ware with the feature of time in the Song porcelains, popular in vast regions and used for longer time. It was fired and made in all the kilns of different places in the following dynasties after Song Dynasty.
This spring jade pot is shaped of thin neck, with drooping belly and clear characteristics of times. It is similar to that of “Yanyou” (1314-1320) Spring Jade Pot (Picture 1) of Ink Inscribed Mottos collected by Japan Toguri Museum. Its shape and belly is decorated through introduction to light and similar to the unearthed golden and silver wares in the same period as in Yuan Dynasty. (Picture 2)
Its clay mold is gray and brown. After using the white make-up soil, it shall be removed from the pattern part. The taupe shall remain as the grounding. Finally, use transparent glaze for firing at one time. The best effect exerted by such decoration lies in its striking contrast between pattern and grounding color. This type of decoration was frequently seen to be on the porcelain pillow by Cizhou Kiln during the Song-Jin Dynasty period. The prestigious museums in Europe and Japan have collected such art works too (Picture 3-5). In the same period of Yuan Dynasty, such decoration was very popular, for instance, the jar (Picture 6) with white grounding carved phoenix patterns by Cizhou Kiln in Yuan Dynasty.  
Spring jade pot is frequently associated with the poetry of “First Spring of Jade Pot” as well as camellia. As a matter of fact, in addition to being used as flower wares, spring jade pot was considered one of the most important wine wares in Yuan Dynasty and used extensively at that time. Wall painting (Picture 7) at Arethusa Monastery, Hongdong Guangsheng Temple in the first year (1324) of Taiding in Yuan Dynasty is the vivid image of Spring Jade Pot used as a wine ware. 
This type of spring jade pot has concise patterns and ornaments, with flowing cutting skills and bright and smooth glaze. It looks plain, but graceful and elegant and therefore is considered the best artwork among the Spring Jade Pot by Cizhou Kiln of Yuan Dynasty.

Picture 1 Yanyou (1314-1320) Ink Inscribed Mottos Spring Jade Pot by Cizhou Kiln Collected by Japan Toguri Museum

Picture 2 Spring Jade Pot of silver wares collected by kilns of Yuan Dynasty at Yincheng, Dexing, Jiangxi Province

Picture 3 Pillow of white-glazed carving peony and lotus patterns by Cizhou Kiln in Song/Jin Dynasty Collected by British Victoria and Albert Museum 

Picture 4 Pillow of baby-playing pattern by Cizhou Kiln in Song Dynasty Collected by Baihe Art Museum

Picture 5 Pillow of white ground carving crane patterns by Cizhou Kiln in Song Dynasty Collected by Japan Okayama-ken Kanko Renmei Art Museum

Picture 6 Jar of white grounding carved phoenix and peony patterns by Cizhou Kiln in Yuan Dynasty Collected by Japan Baihe Art Museum

Picture 7 Wall painting at Arethusa Monastery, Hongdong Guangsheng Temple in the first year (1324) of Taiding in Yuan Dynasty