Jardinière, 10th-12th century, 6-9/16 x 6-1/8 x 6-1/2 in. (16.7 x 15.6 x 16.5 cm), Stoneware with perforated décor under a dark-brown glaze, China, 10th-12th century, The perforated floral décor of this unusual jardinière probably grew out of the taste for 'cut-glaze' floral decoration produced at numerous northern kilns during the twelfth-fourteenth centuries. A second vessel containing a potted plant would have likely been placed inside this perforated container. A lustrous dark-brown glaze has been applied to the walls of the vessel. The unglazed bottom of the interior bears a flower blossom painted in brown slip.