Cizhou kilns
Tea Bowl
12th-13th century
Physical Qualities
Stoneware with splashed brown slip and black glazes, 1 7/8 × 6 1/4 in. (4.8 × 15.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Julius Levy Memorial Fund
Object Number
1957.76
The process of making tea was laborious and expensive. Freshly picked tea
leaves were graded, washed, steamed, pressed, ground, molded into cakes, and roasted. During the Tang dynasty (618–907), the cakes were crushed, ground into powder, and boiled with water. Various other substances were often then added for flavor and aroma. The tea was served ladled into bowls. In the Song dynasty (960–1279), tea was ground into a finer powder, sifted, and placed
directly into the tea bowls. After the addition of boiled water, the tea was
whipped into a froth with a bamboo whisk.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase, 1957; Howard C. Hollis, Cleveland
