TWO RU-TYPE SHARDS Northern Song Dynasty Comprising two fragments covered with a smooth light-blue glaze. The largest, 6.7cm (2 5/8in) wide. (2). Footnotes: Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 北宋 汝窯系殘片一組兩件 Representing the apogee of Northern Song Court taste and prized for their unctuous jade-like glaze and elegant proportions, Ru ceramics were produced exclusively for Imperial use over a few decades during the reign of the Huizong Emperor. Today, fewer than one hundred 'heirloom' examples are known to exist in private and public collections worldwide. The discovery of the Ru kilns at Qingliangsi in Henan Province in the 1980s revealed that the Imperial wares we now categorise as 'Ru' constituted only a small fraction of the site's overall production. Indeed, in the earlier period of the Northern Song dynasty, the site manufactured ceramics for popular consumption, and excavated shards demonstrate that even after the Court began commissioning official wares around 1100, Ru-type wares, along with ceramics employing a range of glazes and decorative techniques, continued to be produced concurrently for a broader market. Compare with two Ru-type shards from J.J. Lally & Co., which were sold at Christie's New York, 23 March 2023, lot 882. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing