Tea bowl

Title
Tea bowl
Year/Period
Song dynasty (960-1279 CE)
Region
Jizhou kilns, Jiangxi province, China
Object Type
Dimension
Object size: H5.7 x Dia10.7 cm
Accession No.
C-1415
Credit Line
Purchased with funds from The Shaw Foundation

This conical tea bowl is covered in a streaky black and cream glaze known as 'tortoise-shell' decoration. This glaze was produced by splashing a mix of wood or bamboo ash and slip (liquid clay) onto the vessel after it has been dipped in the dark iron-brown glaze. Tea bowls such as these were admired by scholars for their rustic appeal. The dark colour of the bowl complimented the white foam that resulted from using whisked powdered tea during this period.