Of all China's celebrated ceramic traditions, Ru ware has one of the smallest surviving bodies of work. Among the fewer than 100 known complete pieces, this Narcissus basin stands as one of its crown jewels: a Northern Song vessel, likely made in the late 11th or early 12th century, now housed in the collection of Taipei Palace Museum. Its plain, lustrous surface sets it apart. Unlike most Ru wares, whose glazes are threaded with a fine web of crackle, this basin's glaze is exceptionally smooth and unmarked – a rare feature among surviving examples. Such crackle forms as a ceramic cools after firing: The body and the glaze contract at different rates, placing stress on the glaze and causing fine fissures to appear across its surface.