Teabowl 1840 - 1860

Eiraku Wazen crafted this humble teabowl, its form a vessel for ritual and contemplation. The dark glaze evokes the depths of night, mirroring the introspective nature of the tea ceremony itself. We see echoes of ancient pottery, a lineage stretching back to the dawn of civilization where vessels held not just sustenance, but also spiritual significance. Consider the human skull—a vessel holding life's essence—transformed through art into a symbol of mortality. The teabowl is a microcosm: it is the universe held in one's hands, reminiscent of the dance between light and darkness, creation and destruction. It reflects our collective desire to contain, to understand, and to find meaning in the simplest of forms. Ultimately, the teabowl's enduring appeal lies in its ability to evoke a sense of timelessness, reminding us that the search for meaning is a continuous, cyclical journey.