07. Calm Water
Handmade qingbai porcelain tea cup with beautiful carved lines on the surface. The lightness and delicacy of this work is stunning, evoking qualities of air and water.
Qingbai porcelain from Jingdezhen originates from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), it is porcelain with a clear glaze that contains traces of iron that creates a bluish-green tone.
We were introduced to Wang Hao by our friend and ceramicist Wang Xinghua during our sourcing trip to Jingdezhen in April 2019.
We visited Wang Hao and his wife Shen Chengcheng at their studio and house in Fuliang County, about one and a half hour from Jingdezhen. He welcomed us by making us pour-over coffee from coffee beans that he roasted just the day before. He gave us a tour of his studio space, it was a glimpse into his practices both in life and in ceramics.
Wang Hao graduated from China Academy of Art’s Ceramics Department in 2006. During his years in school, he fell in love with the simple and elegant qingbai glazed porcleain. Shortly after he graduated he moved to Jingdezhen, the ancient porcleain town where qingbai glazed porcleain was first made. He worked as an assistant to the famed Japanese ceramicist Takeshi Yasuda at The Pottery Workshop.
After a trip to Japanese ceramic town Mashiko in 2010, he decided to open a small studio of his own in Jingdezhen, to focus his study and research on qingbai glazed porcelain.
From formulating the qingbai glazes to the final firing, he does everything by himself. For him, qingbai glaze is simple yet elegant. It is soft and delicate, like rippling water in a lake.
“I like to make humble wares for everyday living - they look simple, but it is not easy to make simple things beautiful.” — Wang Hao
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⌀: 3¼"
H: 2¼"
Please note that the measurements are approximate as each one is handmade and uniquely different.