Tea Bowl with Iridescent Spots (Yōhen Tenmoku)

Jian ware, China (place of production) · Ceramic with a jet-black glaze (Jian ware); one bowl · Southern Song dynasty, China, 12th–13th century · Ryōkō-in Temple, Kyoto

On view only until November 8: look first at the spots inside the bowl, crystals that formed by chance in a Southern Song Jian kiln.