The Dazzling Jun Porcelain

Rose violet water chestnut flower-shaped, three-foot Jun porcelain pot holder of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127):

This item is collected by the Palace Museum of Beijing. Its brilliant rose violet glaze comes from copper particles heated by a strong reducing flame. With evident earthworm marks on the glaze, this is a high-class Jun porcelain work.

Without the need to delineate pictures or apply colors on glaze, under glaze, or in glaze as seen on white-and-blue porcelain, famille rose-decorated porcelain, and Benjarong porcelain, Jun porcelain boasts naturally-flowing glaze with patterns changing randomly and forming naturally without pre-design during firing.

Its preciousness lies in its rarity. The high technical requirement for firing Jun porcelain works has greatly restrained its output. The volatile coloring effect, affected by such factors as temperature, cooling speed, positions in a kiln, fuel used in firing, and even season and climate, leads to an extremely low rate of finished products with around 70 percent scrapped. 

Passionately fond of Jun porcelain, Emperor Huizong exhibited a tendency for perfection in his pursuit of art. During his reign, in order to achieve the desired color change in firing Jun porcelain, he hired well-selected, capable, and skillful craftsmen to fire Jun porcelains, sparing no expense. In addition, it was stipulated that only 36 Jun porcelain works could be produced per year. Back then, whenever Jun porcelain wares were going to be taken out of a kiln, some officials would be on site to supervise the process. After selecting the works meeting the royal tribute standard, the leftovers were then totally destroyed; precluding Jun porcelain works from spreading to the common folk.