Antique Chinese Provincial Stoneware Jar in Pale Celadon Grey

Some pots ask for attention and some just get on with being beautiful. This is the second kind. A hand thrown stoneware jar from provincial China, most likely made in the 19th or early 20th century, with a pale celadon grey glaze that pools thicker in some places than others and sits over a body flecked with iron spots and grit from the clay.

Jars like this were made in enormous numbers as everyday storage for preserved ginger, pickles and dry goods, and they were never meant to be precious. That is exactly why they look so good now. The glaze has the soft sheen that comes from a wood fired kiln, and the shoulders carry a faint band of darker wash where the potter's brush passed round the body. There is an honest wobble to the rim and a few small flecks in the glaze that were there when it left the kiln, and the base is left unglazed and worn to a warm biscuit tone.

It measures 12 cm across at the widest point and stands 12.5 cm tall, so it is small enough to sit on a windowsill or a bedside table without taking over. We have had a couple of stems of dried eucalyptus in it this week and the grey green of the leaves against the grey green of the glaze looked like they had been made for each other. It would also hold wooden spoons in a kitchen, a bunch of dried lavender, or nothing at all, which is often how these jars look best.

Condition is very good for its age. There are a couple of spots on the body where the glaze thinned during firing and the clay shows through, all of which are part of what makes a jar like this look like a jar like this. No cracks, no repairs.

If you are building a shelf of pale, tactile things, or you love a bit of wabi sabi without the price tag that usually comes with it, this is a lovely place to begin.