The striking blue colour of Jun ware is due not to pigments in the glaze, but minute bubbles of glass that form as the glaze cools and which reflect blue light. Around the rim of the bowl, the glaze is too thin for this optical effect to occur and it shows a characteristic mushroom tone.

Exhibited: ‘The World in Monochromes’, Oriental Ceramic Society, 2009, SOAS, no. 81

Literature: R. Scott et al., The World in Monochromes (London, 2009), p. 41

Provenance: Christie’s, London, 27 June 1972, lot. 3; Accepted in lieu of Inheritance tax by HM Government from the estate of Anthony du Boulay in 2024 and allocated to the Winchester College Treasury Museum

Location: Treasury, Gallery 2