Accession Number
1971/2.81

Title
Teabowl

Artist(s)
Chinese

Artist Nationality
Chinese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
960-1279

Medium & Support
stoneware with glaze

Dimensions
2 11/16 in x 6 1/4 in x 6 1/4 in (6.8 cm x 15.9 cm x 15.9 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Henry Jewett Greene for The Mr. and Mrs. Henry Jewett Greene Memorial Collection

Subject matter
Ding ware tea bowl for elaborate tea drinking events among scholars and the elite of the Northern Song (960-1127) to Southern Song dynasties (1127-1279).
The Song dynasty (960–1279) in China was a period when the arts of painting, calligraphy, and ceramics reached extraordinary levels of refinement. One of the most celebrated ceramics of the day, produced under the direct supervision of the imperial court, was Ding ware, a creamy white stoneware made at the Ding kiln in northern China and known for its thin walls and elegantly drawn incised designs.
In the early twelfth century, the supremacy of white Ding ware was challenged when a new kind of tea came into favor. No less an authority than Emperor Huizong (r. 1101–25) declared that the black-glazed tea bowls from the Jian kilns of Fujian province in southern China were best for this new tea.
Very soon the Ding kiln began to make iron-glazed black bowl, such as this object, in attempt to compete with the southern Jian kilns. For examples of each type of ware see: white Ding ware (UMMA 1982/1.274) and black Jian ware (UMMA 1964/2.8).

Physical Description
A stoneware conical teabowl with direct rim on straight footring, covered in a cream-colored glaze with craqueleur finish, unglazed rim, and with repair to the body. 

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
bowl

Additional Object Classification(s)
Ceramic

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
Ding (Chinese ceramics style)
bowl
ceramic (material)
chawan
stoneware (pottery)
tea bowls