The overall shape resembles glass, but some believe it incorporates elements of both bronze and other styles.
National Treasure 国宝
Celadon Vase with Bowstrings, Guan Ware 官窑粉青釉弦纹盘口穿带瓶
Porcelain | Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) | H: 33.6 cm, D (mouth): 9.9 cm, D (base): 14.2 cm | Collection of The Palace Museum, Beijing. 瓷器｜南宋（1127~1279年）｜高33.6厘米，口径9.9厘米，足径14.2厘米 ｜北京故宫博物院藏1
The bottle has a flared mouth, long neck, round belly, and high foot. Seven raised string patterns extend from the neck to the belly, and there is a rectangular flat hole on each side of the foot for threading a strap. The entire body is covered in a thick, pale celadon glaze with a dense, crisscrossing crackle pattern.
This bottle imitates the style of Han Dynasty bronzes, with simple and elegant lines. The raised string patterns break the monotony of the shape and enhance the decorative quality. The glaze colour gives it a rich, deep, jade-like beauty, making it a representative work of Song Dynasty official kiln porcelain. This body colour is debated; some believe it was due to a protective glaze, while others believe it is a natural colour formed during firing.
Celadon Vase with Strings, Guan Ware 官窑粉青釉弦纹瓶
[Left] Porcelain | Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) | H: 34.5 cm, D (mouth): 9.9 cm, D (base): 14 cm | Collection of The Palace Museum, Beijing. 瓷器｜南宋（1127~1279年）｜高34.5厘米，口径9.9厘米，足径14厘米 ｜北京故宫博物院藏2
Song Dynasty official kiln porcelain primarily used pale celadon glaze, mostly with a plain surface, lacking elaborate carvings or vibrant colors. At most, it used raised ridges and string patterns for decoration. The shimmering crackle pattern on the glaze further enhances its refined and antique elegance.
The crackle is a phenomenon caused by the different shrinkage rates of the glaze and the body, resulting in cracks in the glaze but not in the body during cooling after firing. Originally a defect in glaze, it was cleverly utilized by ancient craftsmen to create a charming and natural aesthetic, forming a unique and delightful decoration. This type of decoration is commonly found on the surfaces of Song Dynasty official kilns, Ru kilns, and Ge kilns.
Vase With Linear Pattern In Celadon Glaze, Guan Ware 官窯 青瓷弦紋瓶
[Right] Porcelain | Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) | H: 21.1 cm, D (mouth): 6.2 cm, D (base): 10.0 cm | Collection of National Palace Museum, Taipei. 瓷器｜南宋（1127~1279年）｜高21.2公分 口徑6.2公分 底徑10.0公分｜台北故宮博物院藏
A smaller but almost identical vase is kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, with similar bowstring patterns, but a flatter rim on top. It also has an inscription by Emperor Qianlong that was carved much later on (600 years later “六百嵗茲貽” as indicated by him which placed this piece to be Southern Song and not Northern Song).
It has a round mouth with a narrow lip, a long neck, a large belly, a flat bottom, and a short ring foot. Seven string patterns adorn the neck and belly. The body is thick and heavy, covered with a thick celadon glaze in a pale blue-green colour. Where the glaze is thinner along the string patterns and edges, a gray border is visible. The glaze extends to the foot rim, where the unglazed area reveals the dark gray body.
The base is engraved with Emperor Qianlong’s inscription “About a Song Dynasty official kiln vase “〈題宋官窯瓶〉. The poem ends with the inscription “Inscribed by Emperor Qianlong in the second month of the Gui Si year (1773).”
Because long-necked string-patterned vases have been unearthed at the Ru kiln sites of Qingliang Temple in Baofeng County and the Tiger Cave kiln sites in Hangzhou3, and this piece in particular is quite similar in shape to the specimens unearthed from the Tiger Cave kiln4, it suggests that this piece may have been produced at the Tiger Cave kiln. 5
All photos taken at The Palace Museum (Beijing) Nov 2025, National Palace Museum (Taipei) Aug 2023, unless otherwise noted.
About Chinese Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
Footnotes :
- 【官窑粉青釉弦纹瓶】
故00145394
官窑粉青釉弦纹瓶，宋，高33.6厘米，口径9.9厘米，足径14.2厘米。
瓶洗口，长颈，圆腹，高圈足，颈至腹部凸起7道弦纹，圈足两侧各有一长方形扁孔可供穿带。通体施粉青釉，釉层肥厚，釉面满布开片纹，纵横交错。
此瓶仿汉代铜器式样，线条简洁雅致，凸起的弦纹改变了造型的单调感，增强了器物的装饰性。釉色给人以凝厚深沉的玉质美感，是宋代官窑瓷器的代表作品。
宋代官窑瓷器釉色以粉青为主，多为素面，既无华美的雕饰，又无艳彩涂绘，最多使用凹凸直棱和弦纹为饰。釉面纹片粼粼，愈显高洁古雅。开片是因釉与胎的收缩率不一致在焙烧后冷却时形成一种釉裂胎不裂的现象。它本属于釉的一种缺陷，古代工匠巧妙地利用其错落有致、生动自然的美感，形成一种妙趣天成的装饰。这种装饰常见于宋代官窑、汝窑、哥窑青瓷表面。
↩︎ - 【官窑粉青釉瓶】
故00145436
官窑粉青釉瓶，宋，高34.5厘米，口径9.9厘米，足径14厘米。
瓶直口，口沿下凸起弦纹1道，长颈，垂腹，圈足。通体施粉青色釉，釉层肥腴，美若古玉，釉面开有冰裂状纹片，上部开大片纹，近底处纹片细碎。
“官瓷重楷模，精华四海粹”，这是《饮流斋说瓷》中对宋代官窑瓷器的赞美。官窑属于五大名窑之一，窑址有南北之分。北宋官窑兴盛于宋徽宗时期，据文献记载，窑场设在汴京（今河南开封），目前尚无考古发现。南宋官窑的窑址在杭州，考古工作者对其进行了多次发掘，获得了比较多的实物资料。
此瓶是官窑中的杰作，形体硕大，造型端庄古朴，溢青流翠的釉面上隐现出冰裂纹，在清代皇宫收藏中备受皇帝的赏识，成为御苑至宝。
↩︎ - 南宋官窰，成於杭州，乃為供御而製，享負盛名，可謂上品重器，寥若晨星。其簡潔端莊，唯覃奧淵涵可達，證故時匠人神技巧思，盡諳美瓷韻致，窰火斑斕處，看盡一代思潮，出窰成品時，溢散趙宋文士雅調。https://www.sothebys.com/zh/auctions/ecatalogue/2015/guan-from-a-japanese-collection-hk0573/lot.1.html, accessed 31 January 2026 ↩︎
- 《南宋官窰》，北京，1996年；杜正賢編，《杭州老虎洞窰址瓷器精選》，北京，2002年；張振常編，《南宋官窰文集》，北京， 2004年。
官窰之瓷，自燒成起，已見時人撰文讚之。南宋葉置，作「坦齋筆衡」，書中記，「襲故京遺制，置窰於修內司，造青器，名內窰。澄泥為範，極其精緻。油色瑩澈，為世所珍。後郊壇下別立新窰，比舊窰大不侔矣」。今杭州考古所見，南宋窰址有二，烏龜山一處，於南宋皇城之南；老虎洞一處，於南宋禁苑之內。 兩處窰口，出土瓷片標本眾多，品類甚廣。經研究，烏龜山一處，當屬交壇下官窰，老虎洞一處，應為修內司官窰。 ↩︎ - 故瓷017379N000000000
品名: 官窯 青瓷弦紋瓶 Vase with linear pattern in celadon glaze, Guan ware
分類 : 陶瓷器
時代: 南宋 西元1127-1279年
尺寸: 高21.2公分 口徑6.2公分 底徑10.0公分
圓口窄唇邊，長頸，碩腹，平底，矮圈足。頸腹間共飾弦紋七道，胎體厚重，罩施青瓷濃釉，釉色粉青，弦紋及邊棱釉薄處，現出灰色邊。施釉至足際，足緣無釉露黑灰色胎。此一胎色，有以為塗有護胎汁，也有認為係燒造後自然形成的胎色。整體造型近似玻璃器，但也有以為是同時混融青銅器的風格。底面鐫刻乾隆皇帝〈題宋官窯瓶〉：「陶成脩內司，六百嵗茲貽。火氣全消冺，泑光益潤滋。幾人曾閱賞，五字合題詩。吟罷還自笑，由今視底為」御製詩。詩末署「乾隆癸巳仲春御題」紀年銘（乾隆三十八年，1773），並落「會心不遠」、「德充符」兩枚鈐印。因寶豐縣清涼寺汝窯和杭州老虎洞窯窯址，都出土有長頸弦紋瓶，特別是此件作品在造型上和老虎洞窯出土標本較為相似，故透露此品產燒於老虎洞窯的可能性。
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