Teawares

Ru Yao Celadon Gaiwan and Cups

Gaiwan volume: 150ml (+/- 10ml) Cups volume: 50ml each (+/- 5ml) ** Actual color may appear more green than is shown in the photos.  The light used by our photographer makes them appear more white than they are! Ru Yao (Ru ware) comes from the kilns around Ruzhou in today’s Henan and rose to fame in the Northern Song (11th–12th century). It was one of the “Five Great Kilns” prized at court. Classic pieces were small, simple forms made of fine stoneware and covered in a soft celadon glaze described in old texts as “the sky after rain.” Production was brief and imperial demand was high, which is why original Ru ware is now museum-level rare. What makes Ru Yao special is the glaze. It’s a potassium–calcium celadon enriched with a little iron and fired in reduction at very high temperature. At peak heat the glaze becomes glass-smooth; as it cools, tiny bubbles and micro-crackle (开片) form, giving the surface its luminous depth and the famously soft, “baby-skin” feel. Modern Ru-style celadon is made in several studios (not just Henan) using the same principles: pale jade to moon-white color, fine crackle that slowly takes on tea color, and an understated form that lets the glaze do the talking.