Flat Vase with Tubular Handles, in the Shape of an Octahedron

Flat Vase with Tubular Handles, in the Shape of an Octahedron, 24.1cm in height, 7.1-9.8cm in mouth diameter, 8.5-10.2cm in base diameter, preserved in the Palace Museum in Beijing.

With a thick and heavy body, the vase has an opaque glaze with crackles increasing in size from the mouth to the foot. Both its mouth and base are dark reddish-purple. How such a base formed? The kiln workers smeared dark reddish-purple glaze to cover the body’s color.