Cleveland Museum of Art

Black-Glazed Teabowl with Incised Characters (供御) for “Imperial Tribute”

Date

1100s–1200s

Medium

Brown-glazed stoneware, Jian ware

Culture

China, Fujian Province, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Teabowls with incised characters are rare. The characters 供御 ( gongyu ; “imperial tribute”) incised on the base of this bowl suggest that it was local annual tribute ware presented to the court. The abrasions on its rim indicate the cup was originally mounted with a metal ring that has been removed. Teacups, occasionally dressed with metal bands to cover the rough, thinly glazed lip, enhanced the experience of tasting tea and rendered the bowl more precious and appealing. When steeped tea leaves were introduced in China, dark-glazed bowls fell out of favor, but such bowls continued to be treasured in Japan where powdered tea (matcha) remained popular. Jian ware was commonly associated with tea drinking and tasting, as the light color of tea contrasted nicely with the dark glazes of the ceramics.

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