The National Palace Museum in Taiwan houses one of the world's finest collections of Chinese ceramics, of which the delicate, almost minimalist wares of the Song dynasty are an undisputed highlight.

A Song emperor reportedly commanded his workshops to produce a vessel "the color of the sky after rain". The result was Ru ware - subtle masterpieces in both form and color.

This talk discusses the technological and artistic innovations that allowed Song Dynasty potters to meet such seemingly impossible requests, and reasons why these masterpieces have continued to be highly prized throughout the centuries, fetching prices of more than 17 million pounds at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong in 2012.

The talk will be given by Stacey Pierson, who is the former curator of the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art and a specialist in Chinese ceramics.

Date: 18:45-20:00, March 19

Venue: The Asia House, London

Website: asiahouse.org

(China Daily 03/15/2013 page31)