Bowl Stand thumbnail 1
Bowl Stand thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
China, Room 44, The T.T. Tsui Gallery

Bowl Stand

1000-1125 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A bowlstand was a luxury object, not a daily necessity. According to legend it was invented by a noblewoman in the 8th century. Finding a tea bowl too hot to hold in her hands she put it on a saucer, and to stop the bowl sliding on the saucer she put wax around its foot. The shape of the present bowlstand, with its lobed flange and splayed foot, is much more elaborate than a simple saucer on which to rest a bowl.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Porcelain, glazed
Brief description
Qingbai ware. Bowl stand, porcelain with qingbai (bluish-white) glaze; China (Jingdezhen), Northern Song, 1000-1125
Physical description
Bowl stand, six-lobed, high foot with spreading rim. Porcelain with qingbai (bluish-white) glaze.
Dimensions
  • Height: 9.5cm
  • Diameter: 13.6cm
Styles
Gallery label
Bowl stand Northern Song dynasty 1000-1125 Porcelain with bluish (qingbai) glaze Jingdezhen kilns, south China Museum no. C.839-1936(2007)
Credit line
Purchased with Art Fund support, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities China Committee
Summary
A bowlstand was a luxury object, not a daily necessity. According to legend it was invented by a noblewoman in the 8th century. Finding a tea bowl too hot to hold in her hands she put it on a saucer, and to stop the bowl sliding on the saucer she put wax around its foot. The shape of the present bowlstand, with its lobed flange and splayed foot, is much more elaborate than a simple saucer on which to rest a bowl.
Bibliographic reference
Kerr, Rose. Song dynasty ceramics. London:V&A Publications, 2004, plate 99.
Collection
Accession number
C.839-1936

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Record createdApril 2, 2008
Record URL
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