Thursday, September 22, 2016

The Wabi-Sabi of Cracked Celadon Teaware


There is a certain ethereal and charming beauty about the appearance of crackled patterns on celadon teawares.  Made by a Yingge-based kiln (in Taiwan) that has now closed its door permanently, I acquired a few of these floral-shaped cups through an old friend in June of 2016.  The crackled veins appeared faintly at first after about a week of using it for tea drinking.  Now, 3 months later, the veins have darkened significantly.

It’s interesting to observe the development of their crackled patterns.  To visually demonstrate, on the left is a cup virgin to tea.  The center cup has been used infrequently.  And the cup on the right has tasted more than the others.


Will they one day become as beautiful as these precious antique crackled celadon collection at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan?


Credit: National Palace Musuem, Taiwan

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