Page 133 - Chiense works of art sothebys march 14 2017 nyc

PRISMATIC

IRIDESCENCE

A NOGIME TEMMOKU

TEA BOWL FROM JAPAN

LOT 602

Bowls with this exquisite dappled black glaze with striking iri-
descent ‘hare’s fur’ and ‘oil spot’ markings are among the most
celebrated products of the Song dynasty (960-1279) kilns at
Jian, in northern Fujian province. The desirability of these bowls
coevolved with the tea-drinking tradition of the period.
At that time, Chan Buddhist priests prepared, imbibed, and
served tea for its bene cial e ects on the body and mind. The
elaborate preparatory process—which involved scraping tea
from a pressed cake, drying it, grinding it, putting it through
a sieve, selecting the nest resulting powder, mixing it into a
paste with warm water, and gradually adding additional water
while simultaneously whisking it into a frothy beverage—played
a central role in religious ceremonies. It also became fashion-
able in elite social circles. Sacred and secular enthusiasts alike
sought to master the art of tea-making, with praise awarded to
the person who achieved the richest froth.

The intrinsic qualities of Jian bowls made them particularly
suited for tea preparation and enjoyment. In size and form they
were comfortable to hold. Their heavy potting had an insulating
e ect, keeping the tea inside hot while protecting the ngers
from the heat. Their speckled black glazes subtly imbued
with the spectral coloration of refracted light heightened the
aesthetic experience of a well-formed white froth. Additionally,
Jian bowls were made in the same province as the empire’s
prized teas, providing another link between the vessel and its
contents.

Northern Song scholars such as Huang Tingjian (1045-1105),
Yang Wanli (1127-1206) and Su Dongpo (1037-1101) discuss
Fujian black-glazed tea bowls in their poems and essays. Even
Emperor Huizong (1082-1135), one of China’s greatest connois-
seurs, was a devotee of Fujianese tea as well as Jian tea bowls,
and proclaimed those with ‘hare’s fur’ markings the most
desirable (see Robert D. Mowry, Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell and
Partridge Feathers, Harvard University Art Museum, Cambridge
Mass., 1996, p. 30). Intellectual and imperial appreciation for
the wares continued into the Southern Song dynasty, when the
court’s closer proximity to the kiln spurred output. The Jian
kilns supplied tea bowls to the court as a form of tribute, but
due to the variable outcome of the glaze, they were not deemed
imperial wares. Indeed, bowls inscribed on the base before r-
ing with the characters gong yu [‘for imperial use’] or jin zhan
[‘bowl for presentation’] are not generally the most impressive.

IMPORTANT CHINESE ART 131