LATE TANG DYNASTY, 9TH-10TH CENTURY

Xing wares were one of the finest white-bodied ceramics from the Tang dynasty; those inscribed with ying marks were particularly desirable, as they were tribute wares for the Tang court. According to Lu Minghua, the character ying refers to the Bai Bao Da Ying Ku (the Imperial Repository of a Hundred Treasures), which served as a treasury for the emperor’s personal use.

Compare with a slightly larger Tang dynasty white-glazed ‘ying’ jar excavated in Hebei province, illustrated in Series of China’s Ancient Porcelain Kiln Sites: Xing Kiln of China, Beijing, 2012, no.102; and one of the same height, but lacking the inscription, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Porcelain of the Jin and Tang Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2016, no. 84.