Accession Number
1983/1.340

Title
Saggar Button

Artist(s)
Chinese

Artist Nationality
Chinese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
960-1279

Medium & Support
coarse refractory clay

Dimensions
9/16 in x 2 in x 1 7/8 in (1.4 cm x 5 cm x 4.8 cm);9/16 in x 2 in x 1 7/8 in (1.4 cm x 5 cm x 4.8 cm)

Credit Line
The James Marshall Plumer Memorial Collection

Subject matter
Saggar button from the Jian kilns. This button would sit on the bottom of the saggar below the Jian teabowl, to protect the saggar from running and dripping glaze, or even the extreme case of overfired melting bowls.
As early as the Tang dynasty (618-907) the area of today’s Fujian province was famous for its tea production. Naturally, the kilns in that region specialized in tea wares, both provincial and for the court. During the Song dynasty a cluster of kilns, known as the Jian kilns, became famous for their sole production of dark iron-rich glazed stoneware teabowls.

Physical Description
Disk of coarse refrectory ceramic, with chipped edges.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
saggar

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
chawan
saggers
stoneware (pottery)
tea bowls
temmoku