Style on Sunday: Celadon

Years ago we were fortunate to have lived in the far east, and were able to travel and experience some of the fascinating cultures in that part of the world. This celadon urn is one of our favorite collected pieces, because of its beautiful color and graceful shape. Because we live in "earthquake country", my husband glued the lid to the vase, and the vase to the base. So my ashes will never be placed in this urn.

Celadon originated in China and spread to Korea and Thailand. The word refers to both the type of glaze and the characteristic color that the pieces have. Ranging from pale green to saturated emerald, the shades represent the variations noted in jade. The transparent, iron oxide glaze is applied to either porcelain or clay base pieces and during firing is converted from one form to another. Many pieces have a crazed or crackled appearance.