Qingbai bowl, China, Song dynasty, 960-1279.

Qingbai bowl, China, Song dynasty, 960-1279.
Stoneware.
Measurements: 6.5 x 18 x 18 cm.
The term qingbai, "light greenish blue", alludes to the subtle transparency of its glaze, almost ethereal, which oscillates between milky white and a delicate bluish tone, a quality that has fascinated scholars and collectors alike for centuries.
Beyond its apparent simplicity, the bowl reveals an extraordinary technical mastery. The fineness of the paste, the purity of the glaze and the harmony of its proportions respond to the aesthetic ideals of the Song dynasty.
Art during the Song dynasty (960-1279) reached an unprecedented level of refinement, making it one of the most influential periods in Chinese cultural history. Painting, ceramics and calligraphy developed under ideals of balance, subtlety and intellectual contemplation, where beauty resided in simplicity and harmony with nature. This aesthetic approach, deeply linked to Confucian and Taoist thought, laid the foundations of classical Chinese taste and exerted a lasting influence on both East Asian and modern art appreciation.