Tea cup with mottled enamel, Jizhou Kiln, Southern Song dynasty

A small ceramic teacup, characterised by its delicate open shape and unglazed ring base. The piece has a multi-coloured vitreous glaze, in shades of blue with purple and brown hues, creating a typical mottled and marbled effect. The glaze covers both the inside and the outside, leaving only the base uncovered, allowing the reddish-coloured ceramic paste to be seen. This type of decoration, the result of controlled oxidation techniques during firing, reflects aesthetic and technical sophistication. Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) or later.

Height: 4.5 cm, Diameter: 10 cm