Bowl

Qingliangsi is about 150 km south-east of Kaifeng and belonged to northern Song Ruzhou, thus the name Ru Yao. Until the Song court moved south in 1127, Ru Yao ware was produced there and supplied only to the emperor’s court in Kaifeng. This bowl is typical of the exquisite Ru stoneware, where the thick, undecorated glaze’s shining blue-green colour and its beautiful, irregular cracks on the typically simple but elegant design reflect the importance of aesthetics.

Ceramics from the Song Dynasty have long been considered particularly exclusive. From Ru Yao, the most famous kiln of the Song Period, as well as the rarest and widely considered the best in the world; there are only around 100 known artefacts. Two of these are at Röhsska Museum in Göteborg, where they are two masterpieces in the museum’s Oriental collection.