Southern Song Dynasty Guan Ware Celadon Censer with Flower Shaped

A celadon Censer made in an official kiln during the Southern Song dynasty. The rim has a delicate flower shape, and the body follows this shape with ridges, bulging slightly in the middle and becoming somewhat angular. It has three inverted triangular pyramidal legs and the exposed base reveals the black clay containing iron, characteristic of Southern Song Guan ware. The celadon glaze applied to the entire piece was fired under slightly oxidative conditions, resulting in an elegant, pale grayish-blue color. Although it is a representative example of the thin-glazed, thin-clay Southern Song official kilns, the glaze accumulates on the legs, giving it a substantial feel. The glaze is thin on the raised parts of the ridges, allowing the black clay to show through, and the fine crackling along these ridges gives it a lifelike impression, reminiscent of a flower bud. There is a small chip on the underside of the rim, which is from an older period. There is also a small chip-like mark on the foot, which is a damage that occurred during firing.