Teabowl with a 'hare's fur' glaze
c. 960 - c. 1279
Medium
turning
Dimensions
4; 6.8; 12.1
About this artwork
…; collection of Herman Karel Westendorp (1868-1941), Amsterdam, 1941;{Note RMA.} his widow Betsy Westendorp-Osieck (1880-1968), Amsterdam, by whom bequeathed to the Vereniging van Vrienden der Aziatische Kunst, 1968;{note RMA.} from whom on loan to the museum, 1972
Art Historical Context
This exquisite teabowl, crafted anonymously during China's Song dynasty (c. 960–1279), exemplifies the era's mastery of ceramic artistry. Measuring just 6.8 cm high and 12.1 cm in diameter, it was formed using the "turning" technique—likely wheel-throwing on a potter's lathe—for a perfectly balanced, ergonomic shape ideal for the ritualized tea drinking of the time. The standout feature is its 'hare's fur' glaze a glossy black temmoku effect where iron-rich slips crystallized in the kiln, creating fine, radiating streaks resembling a hare's pelt. This natural phenomenon, achieved through preci...
About the Artist
anonymous
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...