Verdant Tea

This beautiful and fine porcelain cup draws on the Song Dynasty tradition of objects of scholarly contemplation with a subtle gnarled piece of wood in relief, a nod to the curious natural objects that were inspirational in the Song Dynasty studio. It is no small feat to achieve porcelain this thin while still featuring a relief that glows translucent in the light, accented with a fully hand-painted bamboo motif fired in both blue and green, fluid and expressive against the white porcelain. This piece is fully vitrified and non-reactive, meaning it fully amplifies the tea’s natural aromatics, making it perfect for serious tasting.

This full tea set includes a gaiwan, pitcher, and two cups. The Pine Bough style draws on the Song Dynasty tradition of objects of scholarly contemplation with a subtle gnarled piece of wood in relief on the cups and gaiwan, a nod to the curious natural objects that were inspirational in the Song Dynasty studio. It is no small feat to achieve porcelain this thin while still featuring a relief that glows translucent in the light, accented with a fully hand-painted bamboo motif fired in both blue and green, fluid and expressive against the white porcelain. Each piece is fully vitrified and non-reactive, meaning they fully amplify the tea’s natural aromatics, making the set perfect for serious and contemplative tasting.

This beautiful and fine porcelain cup draws on the Song Dynasty tradition of objects of scholarly contemplation with a subtle gnarled piece of wood in relief, a nod to the curious natural objects that were inspirational in the Song Dynasty studio. It is no small feat to achieve porcelain this thin while still featuring a relief that glows translucent in the light, accented with a fully hand-painted pine bough motif, fluid and expressive against the white porcelain. This piece is fully vitrified and non-reactive, meaning it fully amplifies the tea’s natural aromatics, making it perfect for serious tasting.

This full tea set includes a gaiwan, pitcher, and two cups. The Pine Bough style draws on the Song Dynasty tradition of objects of scholarly contemplation with a subtle gnarled piece of wood in relief on the cups and gaiwan, a nod to the curious natural objects that were inspirational in the Song Dynasty studio. It is no small feat to achieve porcelain this thin while still featuring a relief that glows translucent in the light, accented with a fully hand-painted pine bough motif, fluid and expressive against the white porcelain. Each piece is fully vitrified and non-reactive, meaning they fully amplify the tea’s natural aromatics, making the set perfect for serious and contemplative tasting.

This striking glass cup ripples like glacial ice in the sun, amplifying light and showing off the color of your tea as you sip. Tempered for boiling water and elegantly gilded, this is a stunning addition to any gongfu setup.

This fully hand made Jingdezhen porcelain cup and saucer is hand painted in traditional blue and white (qing hua) with red accent. Bats - representing good fortune or (in Buddhism) the five blessings - fly above beautifully rendered crashing waves on both the cup and saucer. The porcelain is fine and lustrous, thin and translucent in the light. Each color in this piece is fired separately at different temperature; to complete the the form and painting of a fully hand made piece like this, it requires the work of many different specialized craftspeople over several days.

This fully hand made Jingdezhen porcelain tea set includes one gaiwan and 4 cups. The large gaiwan is hand painted in qing hua (blue and white) with twisting, flowering vines. The striking conical, shallow cups are hand painted in a matching design. The non-reactive porcelain is fine and lustrous, thin and translucent in the light. To complete the the form and painting of each fully hand made piece in a set like this, it requires the work of many different specialized craftspeople over about two weeks.

This fully hand made Jingdezhen porcelain tea set includes one gaiwan and 4 cups. The large gaiwan is hand painted in qing hua (blue and white) with a cascading geometric pattern of deep blue flower petals. The drum shaped cups are hand painted in a matching design. The non-reactive porcelain is fine and lustrous, thin and translucent in the light. To complete the the form and painting of each fully hand made piece in a set like this, it requires the work of many different specialized craftspeople over about two weeks.

The creamy blue of the distinctive Ru glaze was first pioneered in the Song Dynasty to evoke the sky. Now, the master craftspeople at the Jie Feng studio in Dehua fire these Ru pieces at over 1100 degrees celsius to bring back this song dynasty tradition. This tea set includes one gaiwan, one pitcher, one strainer, and two matching ru yao tea cups. 

This beautiful silver-orange cup is the result of years of research and experimentation by award-winning master potter Lin Xi. The rippling cascading shapes formsunder the high heat of Lin Xi’s kiln firing a glaze that Lin Xi personally sourced and blended from an original Shui Ji mineral deposit used in the Song Dynasty. This unique cup was fully hand-thrown and fired in tiny batches dependent on the whims of weather and kiln heat patterns to achieve the desired effect.

This stunning silvery cup is the result of years of research and experimentation by award-winning master potter Lin Xi. The rippling cascading patterns form under the high heat of Lin Xi’s kiln firing a glaze that Lin Xi personally sourced and blended from an original Shui Ji mineral deposit used in the Song Dynasty. The deep and mesmerizing patterns reflect the formation of iron oxides under the heat of the kiln, not an effect that is painted on. A variation of Lin Xi’s silver moon style, these cups have a dark pooling and heat effect to create the impression of a lunar eclipse. Each cup and patterning is unique. Each was fully hand-thrown and fired in tiny batches dependent on the whims of weather and kiln heat patterns to achieve the desired effect. This larger format cup is a true collectors piece, with Lin Xi’s one-man studio only able to produce very few cups that meet his exacting standards of perfection.

This iridescent rose gold cup is the result of years of research and experimentation by award-winning master potter Lin Xi. The iridescent rose-gold forms under the high heat of Lin Xi’s kiln firing a glaze that Lin Xi personally sourced and blended from an original Shui Ji mineral deposit used in the Song Dynasty. The iridescent effect reflects the formation of a rare kind of iron oxide under the heat of the kiln, not an effect that is painted on. This unique cup was fully hand-thrown and fired in tiny batches dependent on the whims of weather and kiln heat patterns to achieve the desired effect. This larger format cup is a true collectors piece, with Lin Xi’s one-man studio only able to produce very few cups that meet his exacting standards of perfection.

Deep blue and gold evoke an agate polished smooth over many years. Note the deep speckling and the incredible gradient between blue and green. This hand-made cup was fired in a traditional Dragon Kiln (Lao Long Yao) in Shui Ji, the home of the Song Dynasty Jian Zhan tradition. Only one out of every ten "cai shao" wood fired Dragon Kiln cups typically survives the firing process and each piece is a unique fortuitous chance occurrence. The heat, geometry and placement in the kiln and the specific wood used in firing yielded this spectacular pattern. This cup is impressed with Master Lin Xi’s seal on the foot and comes in a gift box with Lin Xi’s signed collectors certificate.

Bright red-orange evokes desert rock workn into valleys by dark waters below. A close look at this cup reveals subtle hints of deep red, green, blue and gold.

This hand-made cup was fired in a traditional Dragon Kiln (Lao Long Yao) in Shui Ji, the home of the Song Dynasty Jian Zhan tradition. Only one out of every ten "cai shao" wood fired Dragon Kiln cups typically survives the firing process and each piece is a unique fortuitous chance occurrence. The heat, geometry and placement in the kiln and the specific wood used in firing yielded this spectacular pattern. This cup is impressed with Master Lin Xi’s seal on the foot and comes in a gift box with Lin Xi’s signed collectors certificate.

This unique piece shows similarity to Song Dynasty Hare’s Fur glazing, but with a quiet diffuse pattern like night sky with just a touch of sunset lingering.

This hand-made cup was fired in a traditional Dragon Kiln (Lao Long Yao) in Shui Ji, the home of the Song Dynasty Jian Zhan tradition. Only one out of every ten "cai shao" wood fired Dragon Kiln cups typically survives the firing process and each piece is a unique fortuitous chance occurrence. The heat, geometry and placement in the kiln and the specific wood used in firing yielded this spectacular pattern. This cup is impressed with Master Lin Xi’s seal on the foot and comes in a gift box with Lin Xi’s signed collectors certificate.

This completely one-of-a-kind piece is part of Lin Xi’s new Dragon Kiln series inspired by old-school traditional aroma cups, hand-thrown in a taller shape to focus and accentuate aromatics while sipping tea. The taller shape presents unique challenges in the unpredictable lao long yao wood-fired kiln, but allows for stunning and unique patterns to emerge. Only one out of every ten "cai shao" wood fired Dragon Kiln cups typically survives the firing process and each piece is a unique fortuitous chance occurrence. The heat, geometry and placement in the kiln and the specific wood used in firing yielded this spectacular pattern. This cup is impressed with Master Lin Xi’s seal on the foot and comes in a gift box with Lin Xi’s signed collectors certificate.

This completely one-of-a-kind piece is part of Lin Xi’s new Dragon Kiln series inspired by old-school traditional aroma cups, hand-thrown in a taller shape to focus and accentuate aromatics while sipping tea. The taller shape presents unique challenges in the unpredictable lao long yao wood-fired kiln, but allows for stunning and unique patterns to emerge. Only one out of every ten "cai shao" wood fired Dragon Kiln cups typically survives the firing process and each piece is a unique fortuitous chance occurrence. The heat, geometry and placement in the kiln and the specific wood used in firing yielded this spectacular pattern. This cup is impressed with Master Lin Xi’s seal on the foot and comes in a gift box with Lin Xi’s signed collectors certificate.

This completely one-of-a-kind piece is part of Lin Xi’s new Dragon Kiln series inspired by old-school traditional aroma cups, hand-thrown in a taller shape to focus and accentuate aromatics while sipping tea. The taller shape presents unique challenges in the unpredictable lao long yao wood-fired kiln, but allows for stunning and unique patterns to emerge. Only one out of every ten "cai shao" wood fired Dragon Kiln cups typically survives the firing process and each piece is a unique fortuitous chance occurrence. The heat, geometry and placement in the kiln and the specific wood used in firing yielded this spectacular pattern. This cup is impressed with Master Lin Xi’s seal on the foot and comes in a gift box with Lin Xi’s signed collectors certificate.

Deep gold, copper, and burnished bronze shines through against black in this beautiful “portrait” of the swirling radiant heat in Lin Xi’s Dragon Kiln. This hand-made cup was fired in a traditional Dragon Kiln (Lao Long Yao) in Shui Ji, the home of the Song Dynasty Jian Zhan tradition. Only one out of every ten "cai shao" wood fired Dragon Kiln cups typically survives the firing process and each piece is a unique fortuitous chance occurrence. The heat, geometry and placement in the kiln and the specific wood used in firing yielded this spectacular pattern. This cup is impressed with Master Lin Xi’s seal on the foot and comes in a gift box with Lin Xi’s signed collectors certificate.