Ashmolean Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

The decoration on black wares is the most adventurous amongst early ceramics. Iron glazes of contrasting colours gave striped, splashed, spotted or pictorial effects. Black and white slips beneath clear glazes were painted, incised or cut away to produce a wide range of designs. In the north the wares were functional pieces for daily use, neither exported nor placed in burials. Black teabowls from the south found favour with the Song emperors and with Zen Buddhist monks visiting from Japan. Along with lacquers they were collected, and influenced later tea ceremony wares.

Black ware bowl with iron glazes (EA1956.1410) Ding type jar with russet iron glaze (EA1956.1396) Black ware bowl with brown stripes (EA1956.1413)

Black ware bottle with floral decoration (EA1956.1391) Black ware bottle with floral decoration (EA1956.1390) Black ware globular jar (EA1956.1104)

Black ware jar with black glaze (EA1980.229) Black ware jarlet with white stripes (EA1956.1367) Black ware jar with white stripes (EA1998.219)

Cizhou type jar with white slip (EA2000.60) Black ware tea bowl with 'tortoiseshell' glazes (EAX.1266) Black ware tea bowl with 'tortoiseshell' glazes (EA1956.761)

Black ware bowl with stripes (EA2000.62) Black ware tea bowl with 'hare's fur' glaze (EA1972.16) Black ware tea bowl with 'hare's fur' glazes (EA1956.756)

Black ware bowl with star (EA1956.1427) Black ware bowl with white rim (EA1956.1125) Black ware jar with leaf design (EAX.1574)

Black ware vase with 'partridge feather' glazes (EA1956.1424) Black ware bowl with iron glaze (EA1956.1423) Black ware bowl with stripes (EA1956.757)

Black ware tea bowl with 'tortoiseshell' glazes (EA1956.740) Black ware tea bowl with 'tortoiseshell' glazes (EA1956.1409) Black ware vase with prunus spray (EAX.1573)

Black ware vase with yellow splashes (EAX.1572) Ding type bowl with russet iron glaze (EA1956.1395) Ding type bowl with russet iron glaze (EA1956.1411)

Black ware bowl with iron glazes (EA1956.1414) Black ware bowl with white interior and black exterior (EA1956.1373) Cizhou type jar with white slip (EA1980.220)

Cizhou type cup stand with floral decoration (EA1956.3111) Cizhou type cup stand with white glaze (EA1978.1788) Cizhou type jarlet with striped decoration (EA1956.3120)

Cizhou type 'peony' jar (EA1966.162) Cizhou type pillow with peony decoration (EAX.1606) Changsha ware pillow with a bird and flowers (EA1992.64)

Cizhou type pillow with a bird amid foliage (EA1956.1309) Cizhou ware pillow with leaf decoration (EA2011.64) Cizhou type bowl with floral decoration (EA1956.1306)

Cizhou type vase with floral decoration (EA1956.1303) Cizhou type jar with floral decoration (EA1956.1302) Cizhou type bowl with calligraphy (EA1956.1313) Alms bowl with floral decoration (EA1956.3102)

Cizhou type bowl with lotus scroll decoration (EA1956.1307) Cizhou type jarlet with leaf decoration (EA1956.1308)

Cizhou type dish with floral decoration (EA1992.109) Cizhou type jar with floral decoration (EA1956.3110)

Two modern glaze test strips

The test bars show lime and lime-alkali glazes, fired at 1200 and 1260 degrees celsius respectively, with increasing iron oxide contents. The iron content ranges from about 1% to 8%, with more iron giver a darker colour. The yellow, brown and black glazes have all been fired in an oxygen-rich atmosphere. Oxygen-rich firing produces warm colours.

Two modern glaze test strips.

Two kilns wasters: tea bowl in its saggar, and teabowl with firing pad on its base

Bowls were fired in rough clay boxes (saggars) to protect them from ash and kiln grit during firing. The bowls were not placed directly into the saggar but rested on a clay firing pad.

Black ware tea bowl with 'hare's fur' glazes, stuck to a firing pad (EAX.1578) Black ware tea bowl stuck in its firing saggar (EAX.1580)