Goose-neck vase with sky-blue glaze and carved lotus pattern, Ru kiln

《天蓝釉刻花鹅颈瓶》丨Tianlanyou Kehua Ejing Ping, meaning a goose-neck vase with sky-blue glaze and carved lotus pattern, Ru kiln

The Ru kiln served the imperial court but operated for only about 20 years in the late Northern Song Dynasty. The famed sky-blue glaze of Ru porcelain was only achieved when the kiln's position and firing temperature were perfectly balanced. Thus, the success rate was extremely low, and very few pieces have survived to this day. Among archaeological finds at the Ru kiln site, a Northern Song goose-neck vase with sky-blue glaze and carved lotus pattern, now housed at the Henan Museum, stands out as the only complete item. Its carved decoration makes it an exceptionally rare masterpiece, a true national treasure.

汝官窑是北宋晚期的御用窑场，烧造历史仅约二十年。天蓝釉的形成，仰赖烧制时窑位与火候的完美契合，成品率极低，故传世之作凤毛麟角。在汝官窑遗址考古发掘出土的众多器物中，天蓝釉刻花鹅颈瓶（现藏河南博物院）是唯一完整的天蓝釉器，其刻花工艺极为罕见，被誉为稀世珍品。