Tian Chengtai Bowl

Tian Chengtai's wood-fired bowls are made from local Miaoli mountain clay. Each is thrown and trimmed in a single session, allowed to find its own natural form on the wheel, and fired over three days and nights at temperatures above 1,250°C. The only glaze is the ash of driftwood Master Tian collects himself, leaving a surface that is entirely the work of earth, fire and chance.

This bowl is made for tea. It fits the hands and lips with a naturalness that is difficult to describe and easy to feel, and has a remarkable effect on Taiwanese teas in particular, opening and softening the liquor in a way that deepens with every session. No two pieces are alike, and each bears the marks of the kiln as a record of its own making. Master Tian holds his work to an exacting standard, and only a small number of pieces from each firing are offered. These are bowls meant to be used, returned to and grown into over a lifetime of tea.

This one measures approximately 11 cm across and 7.5 cm tall.