The vase dates from Song period China (tenth century). Apart from the slightly flared mouth and the flat base, it is almost completely spherical. Horizontal grooves were first cut into the body of the vessel, which were then filled with beige-colored slip (a thin clay paste). A transparent glaze was applied on top.

The vessel, which is unusual for its time and for which no directly comparable piece has yet been found, bears a certain resemblance to so-called Cizhou wares, a type of pottery that was widespread throughout northern China, especially in the Song and Yuan periods (tenth to fourteenth centuries) and was largely unaffected by courtly rules of taste. On the Cizhou vases, which are also spherical, there are horizontal rows of short, light lines on a dark background—instead of the grooves on the vessel presented here—which were notched with a sharp-edged tool (roulette) and filled with light-colored slip.

The spherical vase impresses with its simple, timeless elegance and clear design language. Despite its scientifically confirmed date, the piece appears surprisingly modern and seems to anticipate design principles found in the Bauhaus of the twentieth century—such as practicality, functionality, and formal clarity.