This shard was previously part of a Cizhou ware. It is covered with a coat of creamy-white slip, which has underglaze iron-brown decoration applied onto it with a brush. Such whitewares, of which this shard was a part of, are known as Cizhou wares after the kilns in Hebei province of that name that made similar wares. However, the so-called Cizhou wares were made in many kilns in Hebei, Henan and Shaanxi provinces during the Song to Yuan periods. Cizhou wares were popular at this time with domestic markets and were made for daily use rather than as tribute for the court or for scholarly appreciation.
