Chinese Song Dynasty Period, Ru ware porcelain plate. The porcelain potted in shallow vessel form, thick and large, with broad wide central interior, rounded cavetto gently tapering to open wide, with a straight open lip, raised with round flat base and slight concave base. All reserved in attractive Ru ware well potted with pale celadon under glazed further to olive-brown hue on the rim. Chinese imperial Song ware made in Ru kiln in Baofeng County, Henan Province. The Ru kilns were commissioned to produce Celadon ware for the court which replaced the northern, white Ding ware as the favored imperial ware. Unlike Ding - which was fired upside down leaving the rim bare of glaze - Ru ware was fired on spurs so that the glaze covered the entire vessel. The ware is characterized by the fine fire support marks on the bases of the vessels, resembling sesame seeds, its pale lavender glaze with crackle known as "crab's claw markings" and an ash-gray body. There are less than 100 authentic pieces known in the world. The clay is very fine, with a brilliant glaze finish that was applied by a meticulous, the shape is uniformly proportioned. Dimensions: 7"L x 2.5"H