Tenmoku "Stars"

This tea cup is part of a small collection of ceramics from Wei’s most recent wood-firing at the Shadbolt Centre of Arts in Burnaby, BC.

Tenmoku is an ancient glaze with a history of more than a thousand years.

Wei throws each cup carefully by hand. The pieces are air-dried for 3 days until they are bone dry before trimming and then bisque firing. The cup was wood-fired for 3 days in the kiln, with temperatures maintained at 1400°C. It took around 3 additional days for the wood-fired kiln to slowly drop in temperature, so each piece spent a total of 6 days in the kiln. The cup is glazed with tenmoku glaze on the inside and outside.

This beautiful tea cup emerged from the kiln with rich brown and black hues on the outside, with "hairline" streaks that are a signature of tenmoku glazes. The inside is extraordinarily unique with silvery metallic hues on the bottom, reminiscent of stars and galaxies.

Dimensions
⌀: 64mm
H: 38mm

Please note that crazing and cracklings will develop in the glaze on the inside. We highly recommend rinsing the cup after each use.