The Ru Kiln ranks the first among the five most famous Imperialkilns, or the official kilns in the Northern SongDynasty. Each RuImperial kiln porcelain is a rare treasure. The Ru kiln porcelainshanded down are absolutely rare around the world--not more than150 pieces in total, of which, the sky blue ones of which there areonly five pieces in total, are the most precious. This one is thesole sky blue, incised swan-neck vase in the world. It is the soleobject acquired by excavation; the most rare in the world; andwithout equal in the whole world. And it is also one of the NineRepresentative Treasures of Henan Museum.

This vase has a flared mouth, a long neck, an oval drum body, and a ring foot. The entire body features a light sky blue glaze with a green tinge, aside from the base of the foot which is unglazed; moreover, the paste used to produce the work included very fine grains of sand. I he glaze is relatively thick, producing a shining and resplendent finish. I he surtace of the glaze features a series of crackles, with the glaze colour the archetypical sky blue of the Ru kilns. The neck and body of the vase feature unconnected spray lotus patterns.

The Ru kilns used an outstanding icelike jade glaze, while the incised lotus flower designs on this vase further enhance its decorative scheme. The thick application of the glaze ensures that the beautiful blurred aesthetic of the vase IS always apparent.