Pair of dishes

The earliest examples of a true sancai (three colour) glaze appear during the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577), at the end of the 6th century. The glaze technique evolved rapidly and had matured by the first half of the 8th century. Sancai wares used brightly coloured lead glazes of rich chestnut, deep grass or emerald green and pale straw yellow, and were often inspired by or referring to other media, such as textiles from Central Asia.