Chinese Ceramic Vase

A ruffled mouth, like a collar that has been crimped just so.

This vase comes from Nanyang in Henan Province, China, and is contemporary, of egg shell and Nanyang porcelain. Pale celadon greens have been prized in China for centuries, and the web of crackle across the glaze is generally seen as a pleasing flaw rather than a fault. The slender neck rises from a faceted, high-shouldered body, with two small bird handles at the base of the flared mouth. Slim ribs run down the lower body to a flared foot. The glaze is a soft mint with dark crackle. It is 3.25 inches wide and 7.5 high.

Fresh as spring tea, and likely as old a recipe.