Minneapolis Institute of Art

Ewer

China

Date

9th century

Medium

Porcelaneous stoneware with celadon glaze Yue ware

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This elegant, melon-shaped ewer has the hard grey body and opaque green glaze that typifies Yue ware of the late Tang dynasty. Celadon ware seems to have declined during the Sui and early Tang periods (6th-8th centuries) with the advent of pure white, high-fired wares. However, the popularization and spread of the custom of tea drinking during Tang helped bring celadon ware back into favor. The tea classic, Cha Qing , written by the late Tang author, Lu Yu, extols the virtues of Yue ware for drinking tea. The jadelike colors of Yue ware were considered the most complimentary to the newly cultivated taste for green tea. China, Asia

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