Conical Bowl with Carved Babies and Floral Motif
Unknown Artist
960–1279
Medium
Porcelain with pale bluish-white glaze, qingbai ("blue-white") ware
Dimensions
7.8 × 20.3 cm · diam. 21.6 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Donna and James Reid
Accession Number
2017.19
About this artwork
The conical shape of this bowl is especially suitable for whipping powdered tea, which became popular at court, in monasteries, and in scholarly elite circles during the Southern Song dynasty. The decoration of this bowl was cut with a wooden instrument into the dried clay. This type of white porcelain with a translucent bluish glaze was the direct predecessor of the later blue-and-white porcelains.