Muted wares temper the emperor's lavish image

Among the most celebrated examples is a bowl of mise ci (porcelain of mysterious colors), from the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Discovered in an underground crypt at Famen Temple in Fufeng county, Shaanxi province, the bowl's shades of mise ci have been likened to emerald mountain ranges.

"The single-color porcelain underlies the Taoist principles that emphasize nature's rhythms," Zhang says.

"At the same time, the unpredictable transformations of glaze within the kiln reveal the artisan's creative leap."

She says that by achieving an ultimate harmony between fire and glaze, porcelain continues to offer spiritual solace for people today.