This is my newly completed pottery project, continuing with the Something Old Something New theme and the Lotus Leaf Vessel project. I set out to make containers for these antique coconut lids which were featured on the blog a while back. They are beautifully carved with the word “longevity” and the 8 lucky treasures and on the back are sealed with a lead lid.
The containers are glazed with bronze oxide on the exterior to match with the golden longevity symbol on the lids. They will be perfect for offering sweets and other goodies over the Chinese New Year.
This green glazed capsule is actually part of the architectural feature, Bao Ding, a feature that completed the apex of a pitched roof that has four or more sides or circular. It is a detail for closing off the standard ridge tiling enabling a rain proof roofing, in some cases it is so the cover for the counter lighting device. As it is highest point of a building, like the spire of the tower, it is usually of a larger size. I suspected this bao ding was that for a smaller decorative architecture, perhaps one in the garden, that require a smaller size.
Li Bai, the famous Romanticist poet of the Tang dynasty which brought poetry to a new height during his time. In the “300 Tang Poems”, now seen as the canon of poetry, Li Bai had 34 entries. Equally famous was his enjoyment of the Chinese wine. He enjoyed a carefree life in youth, worked briefly for the court he was cast away for being out spoken, in later years he came a Taoist and continue a life of wandering. He wrote over a thousand poems, on the subjects of nature, solitude, friendship and drinking.
Li Bai’s character was portrayed in a Beijing opera “Tai Bai Zeoi Se”
The story begins with the 2 corrupted generals, Yang and Gao who are in charged of the court examination, both were hoping to make some money out of it. Li Bai had been recommended by the court scholar He to enter the exam. Upon seeing the scruffy clothes Li Bai was wearing, sensing there would be no money out of him, the examiners gave him a hard time. Without looking at his paper, he was teased and mocked; feeling unjust Li Bai vowed to give equal humiliation to the two and walked out of the examination hall.
Then one day, the Tang Emperor received a letter from the neighboring country, the letter was written in their own language and nobody in court could read it. Feeling embarrassed by their own failure, the officials wanted to take the blame out on the messenger. The messenger replied, if the Emperor wanted to be friend with their country, he should seek a way to read the letter, then the two countries could become friends, otherwise they would be at war. Among the hundred scholars at court, nobody could read a word of it and Li Bai was recommended by scholar He. “But Li Bai was not an official.”, said Yang, “and he drinks too!”. The Emperor said he himself drinks as well and award Li a grand title so he can help out in the palace. Li finding his new earned power, took his chance to played tricks on the two. Here is what happened.
After the miniature bamboo steamer, we have the miniature medicine pot. Made with a sandy type of clay, this pottery container is identical to the real thing. Unlike the normal teapot the handle and the spout are placed in the same direction which makes pouring easier. The doctor for Chinese medicine normally prescribe for the herbs to be boiled with certain amount of water (e.g. 6 bowls) and to be reduced to a lesser amount (say 1 bowl). It will be hard to judge by time how long the brewing will take and every now and then one will have to pour out the medicine to see if the correct amount has been reached.
We have a large bamboo steamer in yesterday’s blog and today a miniture one is featured. This small tea container is a Yi Xing pottery, the famous teaware province. As all Yi Xing teapots are hand built instead of made by on the potter’s wheel, the artisan are extremely crafted with their hands. This miniature has all the details of the real bamboo steamer.
When one think of Yi Xing pottery, the dark brown colour clay (Zi Sha) comes to mind. The brown colour of the Zi Sha comes from the high content of iron. In the same area apart from the Zi Sha are other types of clay and the white clay is one of them.
Bamboo shoot, the sprout of the bamboo plant, is a great delicacy. It is harvested when it has barely seen from the soil, when its texture is still fruit like before turning woody. If it is left a night too long the bamboo shoot will be too hard to be consumed. It is not comparable to another other vegetables and the tin version is nothing close to the real thing.
On the plate is painted 3 generation of scholars, the well learnt elderly man, the established and the scholar to be. Behind them are a selection of scholarly objects and collectibles; scrolls of painting and calligraphy, stationary, books and root sculptures. On the side of the plate is the phrase “knowledge with no cliff”, meaning knowledge is so board that it is like an ocean without an edge.
This phrase is well learnt by most young students, as an encouragement for acquiring knowledge. The phrase came from the late Ming well known writer Zhang Di who was born in a wealthy intellectual family. Well learnt, he indulges in decadent love of beauty; pretty maid, handsome serving boys, fashion, gourmet, elegant horse, glamour, crowds, painting, antiques, etc, etc. The life style and the political situation made him a poor man at later years, he found himself failure in all counts. This however, made his writing all the more powerful.
DIA95xH100mm, China
Mountain Folkcraft 