Tea bowl

The tea bowl is complete, but has a break which has been repaired with glue. The bowl is circular in shape. In profile, the bowl has a slightly flared wall topped by a straight rim. The lower part of the wall is curved towards the bottom, which is flat. The bowl rests on a solid ring-shaped foot. There is a small pointed nipple in the center of the bottom. There are flaws in the paste of the inner wall ; The decoration is painted over glaze and applied by transfer printed; the painted decoration is gold and the printed decoration is blue with an oriental motif. The printed decoration is visible under the inner rim, on the inner base and on the outer wall. The decoration under the inner rim consists of a complex frieze made up of four different motifs, some of which are repeated alternately. Under the rim is a braid made of a row of small pearls in reserve, with a core. The frieze has run in some places. This is followed by a band of three alternating motifs, separated by a half-flower bordered by leafy branches. One of the motifs consists of a band of oblique cross-hatching, bordered by an acanthus leaf and an oval cross-hatched mass. This band supports a half-flower in reserve, flanked by branches. Another motif is composed of strings of pearls with a central core; it too is bordered by an acanthus leaf, beneath which is a branch. A final motif is made up of hatched cells with a reserved core and a reserved half-flower, bordered by branches. The background is decorated with a rock emerging from the water and trimmed with branches. The outer wall features two different oriental scenes. One scene features a partly hatched river, a hatched island and a bridge. On the island, in the foreground, there are several pavilions, one with the shadow of a figure in the doorway; they are surrounded by trees and flown over by birds. In the foreground, there is a small boat with sail and a single-arched bridge, on which two figures are standing. The other scene features an island with two tiered pagodas, one with a staircase, surrounded by numerous trees and birds. The scenery is sometimes blurred. The junction of the frieze under the inner rim is visible, as is that of the two scenes on the outer wall. There is some gilding under the outer rim.