Meiping vase

This crystalline glaze, derived from a metallic mixture of iron, magnesium, and silica, was developed over a long period since the Tang dynasty. Few tea-dust glazed ware have been found in Song tombs. The eel yellow glaze was believed to have been made at the imperial kiln during the Ming dynasty (Inst. Sil. 1982: 437). The Qing imperial kilns, however, achieved various tonalities of the glaze, surpassing all earlier periods. The cang kiln of the Kangxi period had already made the snake green and eel yellow glazes. Because of its serene color, the tea-dust glaze usually decorated ceramics found in the shapes of bronze vessels.