Present occasion and history

Traces of time

Processes that are not strictly human also record traces of particular moments. In ceramics, some glazes give unpredictable results in firing, resulting in unique patterns on vessels. The brown glaze on these Song teabowls shows this in both variegated colour and irregular density, especially in the drooping glaze near the foot. This 'liveliness' has been highly prized by East Asian connoisseurs for many centuries.

The lack of deterioration in ceramic glazes is a further magic that brings the past into the present in a visceral way. Drinking tea from one of these bowls, one can feel that one shares a moment across many generations, one's lips touching the bowl in an exact repetition of another's. This is an object that has passed between us.

		Tea bowls, Song Period (960-1279) Ceramic Private collection

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