Peach blossom gaiwan, jade

A coat of translucent glaze gives this refined two-piece the look of a polished jade stone; deep, bright, and wet. Beginning at the knob, the glaze pools like a deities' spring, overflowing and rippling over the lid and the hand-carved emblem of a peach blossom, before washing its plump body entirely. Despite its somewhat dainty features, the gaiwan serves a decent round of tea, concealing its true volume in the thin walls and oblong form, a signature of the artist's studio. Jingdenzhen porcelain has been known to be "as clear as the sky, as white as jade, and as bright as a mirror", and for this piece we may add ‘as fresh as a spring morning’.

About the artist

Li Siqi is an emerging Jingdezhen potter. After graduating from the Fine Arts Department of Jiangxi Normal University, she spent half a year practicing ceramics at kilns in the southwest of China with a focus on sculpture and pottery. She fell in love with celadon and the Hutian kiln* (湖田窑), a famous kiln of the Song Dynasty, and has devoted herself to exploring the history of the craft.
In 2018, she established Qiwei (lit. ‘seven flavors’) Ceramics Studio in Jingdezhen, the capital of porcelain. It continues to inherit from the classic kilns, combining Song Dynasty gracefulness (Song Yun (宋韵), lit. ‘Song rhyme’) with modern lifestyles to create teaware with a historical touch for elegant yet practical chaxi.

*Hutian kiln is located is located in the Hutian Village, a suburb of Jingdezhen. The Hutian porcelain wares of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) were mainly decorated with fine patterns and made into beautiful shapes.