Empty Vessels, Replenished MindsFw The Culture, Practice, and Art of Tea

Empty Vessels, Replenished Minds: The Culture, Practice, and Art of Tea

The wares and utensils associated with tea have changed along with the nature and art of tea itself--from the tea brewed from finely pulverized tea leaves in the T'ang (618-907) and Sung (960-1279) dynasties to the roasted and slowly steeped varieties appreciated in the Ming (1368-1644) and Ch'ing (1644-1911).

In "Classic of Tea", the T'ang dynasty tea lover Lu Yu describes the set of utensils for boiling and drinking powdered tea, thereby establishing the precedent for the importance of the wares and utensils used in tea ceremonies. Descriptions of ice-like Yueh ware celadon tea bowls and snow-white Hsing ware porcelain tea bowls in the "Classic of Tea" reveal the level of aesthetic appreciation that existed for tea wares even at this time.

The Sung dynasty was the golden age of powdered tea. The unique whisking method of preparation along with refined tea competitions brought the art of tea to its pinnacle of refinement. The lines of poetry "Clouds swirling on the surface of partridge-feather bowls, snowy depths at the bottom of hare's-fur bowls" shows that, in addition to celadon and white wares, black-glazed bowls with partridge feather, hare's fur, oil spot and applique decoration became prized wares in tea competitions. Tea bowls and bowl stands were paired as sets and ceramic and lacquer bowl stands in various glazes became common.

In 1391, the founder of the Ming dynasty, the Hung-wu emperor, decreed that tributes of compressed tea cakes were to be replaced by loose-leaf tea. This meant steeping became the main method for preparing tea. Tea pots for steeping and bowls and cups for drinking were the most important tea wares in the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties. Tea caddies also became an essential item as they helped maintain the fragrance and flavor of the tea.

The Museum's collection of Ming and Ch'ing tea ware is mainly imperial. These various types of teapots, bowls, cups and caddies are recorded in official documents and can also be compared with examples described in painting and other texts. The enameled tea wares of the K'ang-hsi (1662-1722), Yung-cheng (1723-1735) and Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795) reigns, produced at Ching-te-chen and in the court workshops, are particularly prized because only one pair was made for each design.

When speaking of tea, Chinese often use a palindrome that translates as "it can also purify the mind" to cite the wondrous effects of this drink. This special exhibit of wares, painting and calligraphy, and books associated with tea presents China's distinctive tea culture and no doubt will "purify the minds" of viewers alike.

The Museum wishes to thank the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung and the Tokyo National Museum for generous loans from their collections of tea ware.

Empty Vessels, Replenished Minds: The Chinese Art of Tea in Painting and Calligraphy

For centuries, the custom of preparing and drinking tea has been a fundamental part of daily and social life in China. The collection of the National Palace Museum includes numerous texts as well as works of painting and calligraphy that detail and record the many methods of tea preparation and consumption. They also describe the various specialized objects and settings for drinking tea through the ages, revealing the central importance that tea played in social discourse and the lofty ideals of scholars on this subject.

In the Sung dynasty (960-1279), whisked tea and tea-tasting contests became increasingly popular. Molded cakes of tea as well as grinders, pots, and bowls for tea consequently were frequent subjects in the painting and calligraphy that survive from this period. Refined scholars and officials focused on all matters related to the selection, preparation, and consumption of tea. Great literary and artistic figures--such as Ts'ai Hsiang (1012-1067), Su Shih (1037-1101), Emperor Hui-tsung (1082-1135), and Lu Yu (1125-1210)--not only were astute connoisseurs of tea, but many of their works of writing, poetry, painting, and calligraphy dealt with this theme.

In Ming dynasty (1368-1644) painting, tranquil landscapes were often depicted with a small cottage and a neighboring tea hut. Amidst the various objects and equipment associated with tea preparation found within, attendants frequently are shown by a stove with boiling water to make tea. The host in such paintings either sips tea alone or is in light conversation with like-minded friends, revealing the idealized setting for consuming tea among scholar-officials in the Ming dynasty. Such artists as Shen Chou (1427-1509), T'ang Yin (1470-1523), Wen Cheng-ming (1470-1559), Ch'iu Ying (1492-1552), and Wen Chen-heng (1585-1645) in their works of poetry, painting, and calligraphy left behind many such elegant images of drinking tea.

From the Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1911), the Museum's paintings dealing with tea are opulent but by no means gaudy. For example, Leng Mei's "Tilling and Weaving" includes a work showing how tea was prepared in farming life. Chin T'ing-piao's "Tasting Tea Made from Spring Water" is an offshoot of the traditional scholarly theme of tasting fine tea. The court copy of "Spring Dawn in the Han Palace" also shows a typical elegant tea gathering among court ladies. Such works reflect the various forms in the art of tea then.

The refined and refreshing art of tea appreciated in the pristine beauty of nature has filled the works of many artists in China through the ages. Through this selection from the Museum collection, it is hoped that viewers may learn more about the history and importance of tea as well as appreciate the beauty of Chinese painting and calligraphy.