Bowl and saucer set in the shape of a hibiscus flower, Sung dynasty, 10th~13th centuries-China Archive

Image Number: K1D001450N000000000PAD
Dynasty: Song dynasty
Category: Miscellaneous objects
Function: Food utensil
Material: Minerals/jade jewelry/agate
Description:
The bowl is made in the six petal sunflower style, with the foot encircled, the inner wall of the foot inclined, and the outer wall of the foot straight. It is held as a five petal sunflower style, with high circle feet and brown spots. There is a raised round platform in the center of the holder to hold the bowl. People in the Song Dynasty were fond of tea. The tea set used in the tea shops in Lin’an City “stopped using porcelain lamps and lacquers for sale”, instead of silver (Wu Zimu, “The Dream of Liang Lu”). However, tea sets made of jade or agate are also used by royal plutocrats. Therefore, a seven treasure club in Lin’an City sells dozens of rare treasures, including three feet of coral: jade ribbon, jade bowl, jade vase, jade ribbon, jade Quanpan, jade Zhenzhi, jade sash ring, glass plate, glass bowl, vegetable jade, crystal, cat’s eye, and horse price beads (Record of the Prosperity of the Old People in the West Lake). An agate bowl with gold clasps was unearthed in the Song Tomb in Lai’an County, Anhui Province, and a sapphire bowl and an agate ring ear cup were also unearthed in the tomb of Zhu Xiyan and his wife in the Southern Song Dynasty in Xiuning