Bowl with Leaf Decoration

The black glazed ware produced at the Chichou kiln in the Southern Sung Dynasty (1127-1296 A.D.) is the best of its kind. Decoration on Chichou ware includes drawn and cut designs, but the one pictured here is unique, since it contains a real leaf, which was attached to the piece and then coated with transparent glaze before firing in the kiln. While this technique sounds easy, in fact it is so delicate that the secret has been lost over the years. Imitations have surfaced, but in all cases, the leaf was painted in. The bowl pictured here is 5.1 cm. high and 15.3 cm. in diameter. Its rim is bound with a copper strip.