Tea bowl with "hare's fur" decoration
Date1127-1279
Maker
Chinese
Label TextChiefly for domestic use—in the Song to the 14th century, for example—by Chan (Zen) Buddhist monks in the Fujian region. Japanese Chan monks studying in China prized jian tea bowls, carrying them back to Japan where they became central elements of the Japanese tea ceremony. Tea connoisseurs admired the thick, unctuous glaze, and especially pieces with streaks resembling hare’s fur, mottling like partridge markings, or iridescent “oil spot” splatters. The bowls’ deep brown and black colors contrasted with the white froth of whipped tea.
Object number50.35
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Glaze, Pattern and Image: Decoration in Chinese Ceramics, Sept. 7 - Nov. 19, 2002.
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Pure Amusements: Wealth, Leisure, and Culture in Late Imperial China, Dec. 24, 2016 - May 15, 2022.Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection
Dimensions2 7/16 in. (6.19 cm)
Diam.: 4 5/8 in.
MediumJian ware; stoneware with brown glaze and black hare's fur-like short streaks
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