Tea bowl

The tea bowl is complete, with a slight chip on the rim. It is circular in shape. In profile, the bowl has a slightly flared wall at the top, topped by a slightly flared rim. The lower part of the wall curves towards the flat bottom. The bowl rests on a solid ring-shaped foot. The outer rim of the foot is beveled and free of glaze; the decoration covers the outer face of the bowl, as well as the inner rim and bottom. The decoration is of the Chinese or Oriental garden type and is treated in Imari. It is hand-painted in two-tone blue underglaze, then traced and painted in iron red, with gold highlights, over glaze. The braid under the inner edge is traced in blue and outlined with a fillet. It is composed of two alternately repeated elements. One element is a vegetal motif bordered by two leaves with veins, traced in red, and set between curved bands, traced and painted in blue with gilding. The second element is a four-petal trellis with spikes traced in red. The background decoration is a small wavy medallion, divided into triangular sections and adorned with a central flower; it is traced in blue, like the flower, and painted in red with gilding. On the outer wall, the decoration is bordered by a blue-painted fillet below the rim; it consists of two similar leafy, flowering stems, painted on opposite walls. The stems are traced and painted red, as are some of the leaves, some of which are also veined; the other leaves are traced and painted blue with gilding. The stems each bear two large flowers, traced and painted red with gold.