A black 'eggshell' pottery stem cup, Neolithic period, Longshan culture | 新石器時代　龍山文化　蛋殼黑陶球柄盃

Chugoku Toji Meihin Ten Ise Korekushon no Shiho / Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramic Art Exhibition, Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Ishikawa, 2012, cat. no. 3.

The present stem cup is an exemplar of wheel-made pottery vessels of the Longshan culture, exceptionally notable for its even potting, paper-thin walls, and glossy black sheen. The use of the potter's wheel was a technological breakthrough during this period, which enabled more sophisticated forming than the coil-built method traditionally used. The Longshan potters exploited this new technique to create eggshell-thin vessels of breathtaking elegance, shaving the walls to minimal thickness with the help of a tool. To emphasise the appearance of weightlessness, these feather-light vessels were also pierced with openwork.

展覽

《中国陶磁名品展―イセコレクションの至宝》，石川縣立美術館，石川，2012年，編號3

本品為龍山文化時期以輪盤製作的精品。黑陶蛋殼陶具器壁薄如蛋殼、輕盈無比、平整圓滑、對稱均勻，色澤烏黑鋥亮，設計別樹一幟。快輪拉胚乃該時期之重要技術突破，比較傳統泥條盤築法，所成器型更見精巧。龍山文化陶匠善用新技，所成陶器優雅絕倫，以快輪之助，成纖薄器壁，為凸顯陶盃輕巧，更多有鏤空之作。