Dimensions: Height 7,1 cm Wide 12,5 cm Depth 12,5 cm
Weight: 355,8 grams

Of conical form rising from a neatly cut foot, the body covered overall with a lustrous black glaze finely streaked with russet-brown ‘hare’s fur’ striations cascading from the rim into the interior, stopping irregularly above the base to reveal the buff stoneware. The rim is finely thinned and delicately rounded, the interior walls steeply sloping to a narrow flat base.

This superb example demonstrates the celebrated jian yao (temmoku) glaze effects highly prized in both Song China and later Japan, where such bowls were imported and treasured in the tea ceremony. The present bowl displays an especially harmonious contrast between the deep black ground and the fine russet streaks, producing a rich and vibrant surface that shifts with the light.

The Song dynasty marked a pinnacle of taste for such wares, their subtle monochrome beauty embodying the literati ideal of restrained elegance. Bowls of this type were considered particularly suitable for whisked tea, their dark interiors enhancing the contrast with the frothy green surface of the beverage.