D: 14.5 cm
H: 4.2 cm

Most Tang Dynasty ware falls in two categories: white ware from the northern Xing Kiln and celadon or green ware from the southern Yue Kiln, a distinction often summed up as southern celadon and northern white. This lot shows a shape and design seen in both Xing and Yue ware, with a broad mouth, slanting belly, and a flattish round foot. The bowl has fairly thick walls and is entirely covered in light brownish-green glaze. In the book The Classic of Tea (Cha Jing), Tang author Lu Yu writes, When it comes to tea bowls, Yue ware is superior to ware from other regions, such as Dingzhou, Wuzhou, Yuezhou, Shouzhou, or Hongzhou. I also don’t agree that Xing ware is to be placed above Yue ware, for Xing white ware may look like silver, but Yue celadon ware looks like jade. Secondly, if white ware reminds one of snow, celadon reminds one of ice. Last not least, Xing ware makes tea appear reddish, while celadon bowls give it a pleasant green hue. For all these reasons, Yue ware is to be preferred. There can be little doubt that Yue celadon ware was considered to be a high end product at the time.