Ceramics Saturdays: Ge Ware

Our fourth Great Kiln of the Song Dynasty is a controversial one. Ge ware is very similar to Guan ware, so much so that scholars cannot agree on a definitive distinction. The celadon is less green overall and the glaze crackling more pronounced—what is called “double crackle,” with both fine crazing and stark, dark lines emphasized by staining between firings. But very good copies were made in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and many historical determinations were made simply of the basis of the ideogram “guan”— which simply meant “imperial”—appearing (or not) on the bottom of a piece. So now Ge ware is generally referred to as “Ge-type.” But as with Guan ware, the unique beauty and rarity of Ge-type ceramics still make them highly collectible. The pictured vase sold for roughly $300K at auction at Christie’s in 2013.