Page 50 - Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings, Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets

1972.43-4 (C-559)
Tea Bowl

Southern Song dynasty, thirteenth century
2
Glazed stoneware, Jian ware, 7.2 x 12.7 (2 7/3i x 5)
Harry G. Steele Collection, Gift of Grace C. Steele
INSCRIPTIONS
Inscribed on the base (incised): liu [six] iron during a short period of reduction at the end of an
oxidizing firing cycle in the kiln. 6
TECHNICAL NOTES The character liu (six) was incised into the base before
A thick, variegated black-brown glaze covers the dark firing. Such numerals are occasionally found on Jian-
stoneware body A silver band is attached to the lip. The foot- ware tea bowls. 7 Plumer has suggested that the bowls
ring is squarely trimmed, and the base is slightly recessed.
with numerical marks were test pieces, and that the
8
numerals refer to specific locations inside the kiln. The
PROVENANCE
Harry G. Steele [1881—1941], Pasadena; his widow, Grace C. Steele. presence of the mark suggests that the bowl originally
9
came from kilns at Shuiji, Fujian Province.
HE SONG-DYNASTY JIAN KILNS' in northern Fujian SL
T Province were most famous for their tea bowls, of
which this is a fine example. The bowls were made both
for domestic use and for the local Chan (Zen) Buddhist
monasteries. 2 They were also popular in Japan, where NOTES
this type of ware came to be known as Temmoku, after 1. The kilns were investigated in 1935 by an American, James
the Japanese reading of the Chinese characters for Marshall Plumer. See Plumer 1972, 33-44.
Mount Tianmu in Zhejiang Province. 3 2. Medley 1976,162.
At the top, glaze has crawled away from the lip; this led 3. Rielly 1968, 84.
to the attachment of the silver band to protect the user's 4. This most likely occurred during the Song dynasty. See
4
mouth from the rough body. Just below the lip the glaze Medley 1976,163.
is a medium brown color. As it descends, it turns to a 5. Rielly 1968, 83. See Cai 1985, no. 1480.
light brown, ending as black with brown streaks. The
latter phenomenon, which came to be known as "hare's 6. Medley 1976,162-163.
fur," was described as early as the eleventh century in 7. Plumer 1982, 79-81.
5
the Cha lu (Record of Tea) by Xiang Cai. It was caused 8. Plumer 1982, 73.
by the precipitation to the glaze surface of metallic 9. Compare Plumer 1982, 69.

34 D E C O R A T I V E A R T S