A Chinese porcelain vase on a stand, with pierced design, covered with a Qingbai glaze with iron spot (Tobi seiji) decoration. The beauty of tobi seiji lies primarily in the rich dark brown spots that create a striking visual impact on the otherwise subtle celadon surface. In fact, the name tobi seiji, literally ‘flying spot green ware’ in Japanese, was given by ancient Japanese tea masters for the dramatic appearance of iron spots. Such spots were added, using a brush, to the surface of the unfired glaze before the pieces were fired. These seemingly spontaneously added spots in fact follow a very thoughtful design principle. Height: 18 cm.