The most prominent high-fired T'ang ceramics produced in northern China were black wares from the Huang-t'ao kiln, Chia county, in Honan province. Many pieces made there during the eighth and ninth centuries feature blue, grey, amber, or white phosphatic splashes against rich black grounds. With thick glazes that run, drip and pool together in seemingly random ways, these vessels have freer, more casual appearances than contemporary monochrome ceramics with their carefully controlled shapes and colors. Suffused with milky blue splashes, the dark brown glaze of this kuan jar stops short of the foot. The blue splashes were probably applied with a brush just before firing.

With their earth tones and accidental glaze effects, Huang-t'ao wares greatly influenced Sung dynasty tea ceramics, which, in turn, strongly affected subsequent Japanese pottery traditions.