Important Chinese Nogime Tenmoku Chawan - Northern Song

Here is another stunning chawan from our collection - one of the oldest available chawans in the world, already exhibited in a museum and published in books!

Nogime (hare's fur) Tenmoku tea bowl from the Jian Kilns - made in the Northern Song Period. This is one of the first tea bowls in Japan, which came together with the first tea from China. More than 1000 years old!

Little refined iron bearing clay, with iron oxide, thrown into the typical tenmoku shape. The bowl was tilted a little in the sagger so the flat pool of glaze inside is a little tilted, too - one of the signs of a true Tenmouku bowl.

The bowl was aesthetically distorted during the firing and a silver ring was added.

Silver rings were only added, if the Tenmoku chawan was made for the aristocracy and for the high nobility.

The wood box kiribako is of high quality and is inscribed on the lid: Tenmoku chawan Northern Song Dynasty.

Size: 6,3 cm height x 11,3 cm in diameter.

We offer this important chawan also together with a valuable Japanese Tenmoku stand (tenmoku-dai).

This lacquered wooden tea bowl stand was made in the traditional Chinese shape. It appears to have been cut on a lathe from one piece of wood. It is covered with a high quality brown red lacquer which is slightly transparent.

The diameter measured in a 90 degree angle to the wood grain is 4 mm less than measured parallel to the grain. Which reflects a shrinkage of approx. 3%, indicating quite an age. I am sure that it dates to the Meiji Period, the time when the top quality lacquers were made.

It has a high quality lacquered kiribako.

Size: 6,3 cm height x 16,4 / 16,8 cm in diameter.

The Nogime Tenmoku Chawan was exhibited from May to September 2011 at the famous Keramion Museum in Frechen, Germany and published in a fantastic large book: 'Momoyama Keramik und ihr Einfluss auf die Gegenwart' (Momoyama ceramics and their influence in the world of today). Catalogue no. 3, page 23. Frechen 2011. ISBN-978-394005-06-8. The book is in German and English with a foreword of the Japanese Ambassador in Germany.

A brand new example of the book is also part of our offer.