The Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) marked a period of economic and cultural prosperity in China, providing the ideal conditions to advance the techniques of ceramics from design to firing.From May 8-29 Eskenazi gallery in London will exhibit 30 notable ceramics hailing from the Song Dynasty. The pieces come from a private collection and make up nearly all of the principal forms of the period.Long associated with the original printed banknotes and the first use of gunpowder, the Song Dynasty also ushered in a period of new artistic and technological heights relating to ceramic art. Song ceramics have since gone on to influence design well into the 21st century, specifically the Studio and Art Pottery movements of the West.Made up of works from both Northern Song (960-1127 AD) and Southern Song (1127-1279 AD) periods, the exhibition will showcase a rare Imperial green-grey-glased guan ware from a kiln close to the Southern Song palace in Hangzhou and a moulded “Dragon” dish from the Ding kilns in Hebei Province.Also on show are three pieces of Jun ware, which derives its name from the Juntai terrace where ceramics were produced from the end of the North Song period to the Ming dynasty. The blue-glazed, purple splashed grey stoneware dish is evocative of the Jun ware’s “splashing” technique, often seen as an early form of abstract art.A “Leaf” bowl is also included in the exhibition, a celebrated piece of ceramic art. This particular item, formerly in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Clark, was previously shown at the Royal Academy, London (1935), the Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris (1937), and the Tokyo National Museum (1994), among other venues."Principal wares of the Song period from a private collection" is on show at Eskenazi from May 8-29.Follow @UK_ARTINFO
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