Tea bowl

The tea bowl is complete; there are small chips on the rim and a crack. 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 is curved towards the bottom, which is flat. The bowl rests on a ring-shaped foot. The outer rim of the foot is beveled and free of glaze. The bottom is flat and recessed; the decoration covers the outside of the bowl, as well as the inside rim and bottom. The decoration is of the vegetable type, treated in Imari. It is hand-painted in two-tone blue underglaze, then traced and painted in iron red, with gold highlights, over glaze. A fillet is traced on the inner edge in blue. The center of the background is decorated with a ring traced in blue surrounding a small stem with four leaves, traced and painted in blue, and surmounted by ribbed leaves and a flower, traced and painted in red. The decoration on the outer wall consists of the same element repeated three times and arranged in a triangle; it could be the cover of an open book, traced in blue and painted in blue and red with scrolls traced in gold. Two of these masses are surrounded by long leaves traced and painted in blue and red, and small flowers traced and painted in red with gilding. The other shape is surrounded by branches traced in blue and trimmed with small flowers and flower buds traced and painted in red with gilding. The top of the rim is covered with gilding, partially faded. The inner wall is stained with iron red.