Fragment of Jian Ware Bowl

Accession Number
1997/1.282

Title
Fragment of Jian Ware Bowl

Artist(s)
Chinese

Artist Nationality
Chinese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
12th century

Medium & Support
stoneware with mottled black-brown glaze

Dimensions
3 7/8 in x 3 1/4 in x 1 5/16 in (9.8 cm x 8.2 cm x 3.4 cm);3 7/8 in x 3 1/4 in x 1 5/16 in (9.8 cm x 8.2 cm x 3.4 cm)

Credit Line
Transfer from the School of Art and the College of Architecture and Urban Planning

Subject matter

Jian ware, Wade-Gils romanization Chien ware, Japanese name temmoku ware, Temmoku also spelled Tenmoku, dark brown or blackish Chinese stoneware made for domestic use chiefly during the Song dynasty (960–1279) and into the early 14th century. Jian ware was made in Fujian province, first in kilns at Jian’an and later at Jianyang.

The clay used for Jian ware was of a very hard, coarse grain. The inside and about two-thirds of the outside of the ware were covered with a thick, very dark glaze (coloured with iron oxide). This glaze usually stopped short of the outer base in a thick welt; it also tended to pool thickly on the inside of the vessel. Within a limited palette dominated by a purplish or bluish black or reddish brown, Jian ware had a range of variations. The most prized glazes resembled the streaking of a hare’s fur, the mottling of partridge markings, or the silvery splattering of oil spots.

Teabowls are by far the most common, though not the only, form of Jian ware that survives. Used by Chan (Zen) Buddhist monks in the Fujian region, the highly esteemed teabowls were carried back to Japan by Japanese monks who had visited China to study Chan Buddhism. Until the late 16th century, Jian ware, or temmoku ware, was the type of tea bowl preferred for the highly ritualized Japanese tea ceremony.

https://www.britannica.com/art/Jian-ware-Chinese-stoneware



Physical Description
A fragment of a Jian Ware bowl with mottled black-brown glaze. It is on a short footing and a everted rim.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
tea bowl

Additional Object Classification(s)
Decorative Arts

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
bowl

& Author Notes

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