Early Northern Song dynasty, 10th-11th centuryThe tapering jar moulded with five horizontal sections, each applied with three lotus buds, covered with a brownish black glaze, the base left unglazed revealing the sienna buff. H. 22.7 cmProvenance:- Gallery Ancient World, York (UK) (1996)- Collection Drs. Koos de Jong, AmsterdamCompare:Chinese Ceramics, Shanghai 1995, no. 376, p. 282Note:An almost identical jar is in the collection of the Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden.The five sections and the lotus buds are both Buddhist symbols that refer to the stages that need to be accomplished before reaching the enlightened state of nirvana.