National Palace Museum to share pieces with Osaka

NORTHERN SUNG: Five ceramic planters dated between 960 and 1127 are to be shown from late next year at the Museum of Oriental Ceramics in Japan

Staff writer, with CNA





Pieces from National Palace Museum’s collection of ceramic planters of the Northern Sung Dynasty are to be displayed in Osaka, Japan, starting next year, the museum said on Wednesday.

An exhibition of Ju pieces — dated between 960 and 1127 — is to begin on Dec. 10 and run through March 26, 2017, at the Museum of Oriental Ceramics in Osaka, the Taipei museum said in a statement.

The exhibition is to include four ceramic planters and one piece from Japan, the National Palace Museum said, describing it as a good opportunity to see an array of ceramic basins.

The highlight of the exhibition is to be a plain narcissus planter with a greenish-blue glaze, the only known narcissus planter without any crackles in its finish, the National Palace Museum said.

The piece is about 6cm tall, it said.

The art of ceramics flourished during the Sung Dynasty, as various kilns across China strove to show off their best in terms of form, glazes, decorative techniques and methods of production, the National Palace Museum said.

The Ju kilns in Henan Province fired bold and outstanding porcelains with glazes marked by a moist and glossy appearance, it added.

A slightly greenish blue hue with the slightest sparkle of rose-pink luster is the unique style of Ju porcelain glaze, which appears different from the porcelain of the Southern Sung and the Sung dynasties, the National Palace Museum said.

The museum in Taipei houses more than 600,000 pieces and has one of the largest collections of ancient Chinese artifacts and artwork in the world.