Dish with Two Wine Bowls - Public domain museum image. A bowl and two bowls on a plate

The Yue kilns of northern Zhejiang Province had been active from the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). However, their finest wares date from the 9th and 10th century: delicate objects with jade-like glazes called ‘secret colour’ (or mi-se). The saucer and wine bowls were not meant to be used, but rather buried in a tomb as ritual objects.