Introduction The present exhibition features 34 pieces ranging in date from the end of the Tang/Five Dynasties period in the 10th century through to the end of the Southern Song and beginning of the Yuan period in the late 13th century. Of course, it is far from comprehensive both as to the wares themselves and the forms that developed in the period; a survey that did at least partial justice to the subject would have to borrow from museums and collectors world-wide and be ten times larger. Nevertheless, the present exhibition encompasses many of the different types of ceramics produced during that time in China; it includes a superb example of rare guan ware, Ding and Jun wares, celadon-glazed pieces as well as a selection of ‘black wares’ from both the north and the south of the country. The Song dynasty saw a great refinement in many of the arts and crafts, especially in the field of ceramic technology and appreciation. It is for the first time in China, perhaps, when vessels made of fired clay are perceived not only to be of great use (in fact, probably far more ubiquitous than before) but imbued with more intangible qualities. These may transcend their function and, although still firmly based on the senses, are recognizable by those attuned enough to interpret them and by those who can tell when the non-functional but essential quality is lacking. Such, presumably, is connoisseurship and it is an attitude that seems to have arisen, with regard to ceramics, in the Song period, to be codified in the succeeding Yuan and Ming. Ceramic wares may also, as in previous times, borrow from or act as cheaper or less technically complicated substitutes for objects in more ‘noble’ and labour-intensive materials. They may also act, rarely as models but, in this respect, are far less associated with burial practice than in the previous millennium. The Northern Song period, 960-1127, saw the rise of a new leisured class in China which resulted in an increase in ceramic production. Direct imperial patronage also seems to have played a role in this but it is difficult to estimate how influential this was. Border incursions, battles and, eventually, defeat in the north by the Jin tartars, forced Zhao Gou – son and grandson of the Huizong and Qinzong emperors – to abandon the capital at Kaifeng; he fled south of the Huai and Yangzi rivers, to Zhejiang province, in 1127. Under the title of the Gaozong emperor, he established a new court at Hangzhou (Lin’an). During the Southern Song period, 1127-1279, imperial patronage sems to have become more important, perhaps because court requirements for vessels were more easily and cheaply satisfied by versatile clay than by precious metals, bronze and jade. Experienced northern potters from the Jun and Ru kilns also seem to have decamped to the south, in the wake of the emperor. There is undoubtedly a strong relationship between the famous (and short-lived) northern, imperial Ru ware from Qingliangsi, Baofeng county and the equally renowned (but less rare) Southern Song guanyao – the so-called ‘official ware’, supposedly made for court use, represented in this exhibition by catalogue numbers 33 and 34. In addition, perhaps inspired by Ru ware and northern potting tradition, the kilns at Longquan in the south of Zhejiang province (already in existence) started to produce a ware covered with a thick green-blue glaze. It is sometimes close in appearance to guanyao, sometimes distinctly different – for example, catalogue number 25. The extent of court or imperial patronage of the so-called official kilns of the Song period is subject to much debate and likely to remain so. What is certain is that the ceramic industry as a whole flourished throughout China during this time, irrespective of such patronage. Three striking Dingyao pieces in the exhibition, the pillow modelled in the form of a boy sleeping under a lotus leaf (no. 21), the openwork pillow (no. 23) and the moulded dish (no. 24) may well have been made after the Jin invasion but are in no way inferior because of that. Yaozhou celadons, such as catalogue numbers 3, 4, 5 and 6, are often very fine-bodied, delicately potted, exquisitely decorated and covered with a lustrous and attractive glaze; the production of such pieces was well under way before 1127 (and continued after that date) but it was never recognized as a ‘court’ ware. Nor have most of the ‘black wares’ of either the north or the south, of which there are several examples in this exhibition. These stonewares, covered with a thick glaze that fires to tones ranging from black through blue-black, brown, dark olive green and russet to light brown, were not difficult or time-consuming to manufacture and were tough and reliable. They were thus ideal for use as practical and utilitarian vessels for eating, drinking and storage and, apparently, widely available. Nevertheless, some are of the highest quality and this may have been appreciated at the time, as it undoubtedly is now. The baluster vase (no. 7) could hardly be more elegant and harmonious, both in form and glazing; and certain tea-bowls, such as catalogue numbers 31 and 32, were certainly appreciated in China by literati, if not the court itself. Certain examples were to achieve an iconic status, particularly in Japan, on a par with the greatest ‘official’ wares. Nowadays we may acknowledge the aura that still attaches to those Song wares with a possible imperial or official connection, whilst at the same time concluding that a contemporary canon would not be so exclusive.