A carved 'Ding' white-glazed 'lotus' bowl, Northern Song dynasty

Shogado, Tokyo.

This bowl is a fine example of carved Ding ware, evident in its confident carved design and exquisite glaze.

Bowls like the present form were independently developed by the potters, and found favour with the court and wealthy monasteries during the Northern Song and Jin periods. Symbolic of purity and integrity as it rises clean out of muddy waters, the lotus was a popular motif throughout the Song dynasty due to the Confucian value of personal virtue, and frequently appeared on white-glazed Ding wares, whose pure glaze tone enhances the flower's message.