NOT THE DRINK

Illustrated is a pot made in the Tang Dynasty style, though many, many years later. This phoenix-headed ewer is glazed in the sancai style made popular during the Tang period (618-906), the body is a softer earthenware with molded handle and beak spout attached. The ewer has a number of sprigged decorations applied around the body and once glazed, the amber form is further highlighted by copper and cobalt accents which accentuate the details and decorations of the form. Though not a piece made during the Tang Dynasty, it certainly represents the spirit of the time and was crafted in a traditional manner, meant to mimic the original processes of ancient China. The origins of these pots spreads across the old Silk Road trade route, originating in ancient Persian and were quickly imitated in their own unique style in China beginning in the early 8th century. In exchange for silks and spices, the Persian merchants traded luxurious silver, pottery and textiles that were highly coveted by the burgeoning nobility of the period. This ewer is certainly a pleasant enough piece and surely as close to an original as I will ever get, looking rather nice up on a shelf and even getting dusted from time to time.

Old Tang Commercial