Tea bowl with lotus petals

The shape of this bowl, with its inverted mouth and straight sides, was once paired with a now-missing dome-shaped cover featuring a vegetal stem knob surrounded by lotus panels. Much of the bowl's charm derives from the shallow relief—most vessels of this type have a plain surface. The raised lotus panels for bowls and dishes were decorated two ways. They were either mold-stamped or incised along the contours of the panels after molding, as seen on this piece (Zhejiang Light Industry Bureau 1989: pl. 5, fig. 4).