Height 8.0cm, mouth diameter 10.5cm, base diameter 5.5cm
It was Qianzan who tried to enhance the artistic appeal of Qianzan ware by painting pictures and poems on ceramics, which is the most significant feature of Qianzan ware.
Perhaps because the subject matter of the pottery is poetry and painting, all of the poetry and painting praise teacups are made in a plain semi-tubular shape with no particular characteristics for ease of painting, but it is not clear whether they were wheel-thrown by Qianzan or made by a craftsman. However, this tea bowl has a slight bulge on the body and is neat from the waist to the base. The body is covered with a transparent glaze with a waterfall landscape painting and a poem, “Soshoku fusei sanfusexue buyeo ryuusaku wannian澗 乾山省 書尚古” written on it. The painting, probably by Qianshan, is the most outstanding of all ceramic paintings by Qianshan that we have seen, especially the strong brushwork of the waterfall.
The strong brushwork, especially of the waterfall, is very poetic, and the mountains, trees, and pavilions that are painted on this waterfall as its subject matter are a testament to the artist’s ability to capture the elegance of ink painting in a single bowl.
The bowl is made of a harder yaki (Japanese porcelain) than a square plate, and the back of the lid of the inner box containing the bowl bears the inscription, “Soshoku fusei sanfusetsu taki jiga ei kojakuan (seal) 癸卯冬古昔庵 (seal). It was once owned by the Fukui family of Komatsubara, Kyoto, a well-known doctor.
