A Jian black-glazed tea bowl, Southern Song dynasty | 南宋　建窰黑釉天目茶盞

A Japanese private collection.

Acquired from the above in 2009.

The present tea bowl exemplifies the classical style produced at the renowned kilns of Jianyang, Fujian province, distinguished by its exquisite silver 'hare's fur' glaze. Jian bowls are celebrated for their remarkable dark glazes, each displaying unique decorative effects formed when air bubbles within the glaze burst during firing, creating streaks reminiscent of hare’s fur or spots resembling oil droplets. These glaze effects exhibit tones varying from warm russet-brown to striking metallic blue. The current example, with its captivating deep black glaze accented by shimmering silver streaks, ranks among the rarest and most sought-after examples of Jian ware.

Tea bowls of this type were renowned for their unique suitability for drinking tea as the fine foam of the whisked powdered tea contrasted attractively with the dark glaze of the vessel. The thickness of the glaze also helped keep the tea warm while protecting the hands of the drinker from the hot beverage. Furthermore, the concave indentation below the rim of the bowl allows a firm grip and is said to cause the drinker to consume the tea in small sips, which is important for the full appreciation and enjoyment of tea.

Comparable Jian bowls of similar exceptional quality include one held by the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, see Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge Feathers, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 1995, cat. no. 79; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (II), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 204; a third formerly from the Sir David Percival Collection and now housed in the British Museum, London, published in Oriental Ceramics. The World’s Great Collections, vol. 6, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 44; and a fourth bowl previously in the Sakamoto Goro Collection, sold at Sotheby's London, 16th September 2014, lot 5

來源

日本私人收藏

2009年購自上述收藏