Kyō Ware Chawan (Tea Bowl), Japan
This Japanese Kyō ware chawan represents the essence of Kyōto's traditional ceramic craft. Kyō ware (Kyō-yaki) is a long-established pottery tradition of the Kyōto area, known for rich colours, refined workmanship and ornate decoration, and is much loved by devotees of the Japanese tea ceremony and collectors of ceramics. The bowl is hand-painted with flowers, with gold patterning set against vivid blue, red and green, expressing an elegant, noble Japanese aesthetic. The interior glaze is warm and soft, the mouth moderate in size and the bowl steady in the hand, making it both highly practical and fine to look at. It comes with its original tomobako (wooden box) bearing the craftsman's signature and red seal, attesting to its craftsmanship and origin; suitable for collecting or as a gift.