Funerary vessel. China, Song dynasty, 960-1279

Funerary vessel. China, Song dynasty, 960-1279.
Glazed terracotta.
Measurements: 87 x 15 cm.
Ancient terracotta funerary vessel, dated to the reign of the Southern Song dynasty. This type of piece was used to contain the ashes of the deceased. It is richly worked in relief, and covered with a glaze of a delicate blue hue that leaves the foot uncovered, characterised by a soft crackle. The lid, topped by the figure of a crane, has a slightly thicker white glaze. The body is decorated with reliefs of dragons chasing the pearl of wisdom and celestial figures.
The Song dynasty period (960-1279) is a brilliant period in Chinese history, the political and intellectual foundation of modern China. The rulers of the previous dynasty, the Tang, relied on the military aristocracy, but the first emperor of the new Song dynasty replaced them with a corps of learned officials, forming a new elite, which was accessed through a system of national examinations, to which the entire population was eligible, regardless of which social class they belonged to by birth. Initially the capital was located in northern China at Bialiang, but after the Jurchen conquest of the city in 1127, a new capital was founded in the south, in the city of Linan (present-day Hangzhou). The Song period was a time of prosperity and peace, although China's territory was greatly reduced compared to the Tang Dynasty.