Diantuo is an important carrier of ancient Chinese ceramic culture and tea culture, and it has undergone a long process of evolution and development.
It can be said that the evolutionary history of Dianto is a small "history of ancient tea drinking customs". Through the small cup, you can get a glimpse of people's life situation thousands of years ago, and understand the interesting hobbies and customs of the Song people.
1. What is a cupholder? When did it originate?
Cup holder, that is, the utensil that holds the tea cup/bowl.
▲Song Dynasty Lacquer art inlaid screw tungsten saucer
The cup holder is a kind of tea vessel, which is used in conjunction with the cup and was more popular in the Song Dynasty.
Regarding the origin of Theo, Tang Li Kuangqi (c. 806 ~?) In the article "Zihui Ji Tea Saucer", it is recorded:
Daughter of Cui Ning, the chancellor of the Founding Shu Dynasty. Take the teacup unlined. Sick of its ironing hands. Take the plate and take it. Sipping. Cup poured. It is in the center of the wax ring dish. Its cup was fixed. That is, the worker replaces the wax with a lacquer ring. Ning Shanzhi. Is a name. It was done in the world. Its successors. More to the bottom. Thought it was a hundred.
It can be seen that the cup holder was originally designed to prevent hot hands.
▲ Southern Song Dynasty Zhou Jichang, Lin Tingjue "Five Hundred Arhats Eating Tea Map" part, Japan's Dadeji Temple Longguang Temple collection, Song Dynasty monks use cups and tea saucers to drink tea
According to archaeological excavations, Dianto has appeared as early as the Three Kingdoms and Eastern Wu period.
▼ Jiangxi Jishui Dongwu Tomb (the tomb dates back to the late Eastern Wu of the Three Kingdoms, more than 1700 years ago) unearthed cultural relics including a set of celadon ware, including a cupto
Archaeological data further indicate that the prototype of the cup holder is ear cups and trays. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, trays were generally larger, and one plate could hold four to six ear cups.
During the Western And Eastern Jin Dynasties, the area of the tray was reduced, and one or two ear cups were often placed on a tray.
▼ Western Jin Dynasty Yue kiln celadon cup plate
▼Yue kiln celadon dot color ear cup tray
Not only does the pallet area change, but the pallet form also varies. The tray was changed from an oblique straight wall shape to an inner arc wall shape, and later in order to fix it firmly, a straight-mouth deep-abdomen false circle foot cup appeared, and the tray and ear cup were replaced by the lamp holder.
Second, the characteristics of the two Jin Dynasties and the Southern and Northern Dynasties - simple and thick
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, tea drinking culture has begun to prevail in the south, and the cups are mass-produced.
The Western Han Dynasty writer Wang Zhen mentions the tea set in the "Covenant of Servants": "Cooking tea is exhausted". Jin Dynasty Du Yu (?) -311) The "Sui Fu" further put forward the idea of "choosing tao jian of the instrument".
Therefore, the overall shape of the cup during the Two Jin Dynasties and the Southern and Northern Dynasties is simple and thick, most of which are disc-type trays, the heart of the tray is concave downwards, the circle foot is shorter, and the cup and the tray are integrated.
▲Southern and Northern Dynasties Hongzhou Kiln Lotus Petal Pattern Celadon Spectacle Tray (whole) Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
▲Eastern Jin Dynasty Deqing kiln black glaze cup holder
▲ Southern Dynasty Ou kiln celadon tuo, Southern Dynasty Liang Tianjian ninth year (510) brick chamber tomb excavated
▲ Southern Dynasty Blue glazed lotus petal pattern cup, cup holder, Autumn 2016 Christie's Hong Kong auction
Third, the characteristics of the Tang Dynasty cup holder - graceful and full, preferring the flower-shaped cup holder
Dianto developed to Tang and became very popular. Tang-style cupto, compared with the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the cup tray system has undergone many changes due to changes in tea drinking customs (Sencha popularity);
The shape is also more abundant and diverse, and the overall shape of the instrument is mainly characterized by grace and fullness.
▲ "Xiao Yi Earn Lan Ting Diagram", made by Yan Liben in the Tang Dynasty, depicts the Sencha scene in a subtle stroke, and the waiter on the right side of the picture holds a cup holder
The popularity of sencha led to the development of tea utensils, and the Tang Dynasty cup tray was different from the Wei and Jin dynasties in terms of shape and material.
▼ The main steps of the High Tang Dynasty Sencha Method, the Tang Dynasty Sencha Method requires a variety of instruments and complex processes, indicating that people at that time attached great importance to tea tasting
In the Tang Dynasty, there were various materials, mainly porcelain, but also gold, silver, jade and other materials. At this time, the cup and the hoop foot are generally shorter, but the cup and the holder have gradually separated.
▼ Tang White glaze tea boiling vessel, excavated from Luoyang, Henan, is composed of a combination of tea mill, tea stove, tea kettle and tea cup holder (two pieces on the right).
▼ Famen Temple unearthed Tang Dynasty court tea sets
▼ Tang Dynasty metal cup holder
In addition, due to the prosperity of Buddhist culture in the Tang Dynasty, under the influence of Buddhist culture, lotus leaves, lotus petals, begonia flowers and other shapes appeared in the cupto.
▼ Five generations of white glaze with flower mouth cup holder
▼ Wudai Yue kiln secret color porcelain lotus bowl, found in 1956 in Suzhou Tiger Hill Yunyan Temple Pagoda on the third floor, hidden in the Suzhou Museum
▼ Tang white glaze cupto, excavated in 1985 from the tomb of Liu Fujun of the East Street Brick Factory in Lincheng County, Hebei Province, is now in the Lincheng County Cultural Relics Depository
The popular style of the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty is basically fixed, mainly including five-petal plum blossom type, five-petal flower mouth convex rib type and round cup, and there are many such good products in the kiln.
▼ Tang Dynasty Dingyao five-petal plum blossom tray
Communication, consultation
Fourth, the characteristics of the Song Dynasty--beautiful and upright
The tea industry flourished in the Song Dynasty, from the Tang Sencha method to the tea pointing method, and the porcelain also developed at a high speed, and Jianzhan came into being;
Naturally, the Song Dynasty produced great changes during this period. Previously, it may have been used only as a function, but in the Song Dynasty, it has developed aesthetic and practical values.
The design of the instrument is more exquisite and practical, the shape is diverse and beautiful and straight, the material is more abundant, and the glaze color and decoration are more chic and feminine.
▲ Five generations Gu Hongzhong, Han Xizai night feast map, the Palace Museum collection
In the Song Dynasty, the cup holder was composed of two pieces of cup and tray. The cup and the tray complement each other; the lamp is more temperamental, and the lamp makes the cup more exquisite.
In the collocation of various cups and trays, it has to be said that the "golden combination" of Jianzhan and cups is mentioned. Different cups are matched with different materials, and the effect is different.
▼ Southern Song Dynasty Jian kiln oil drop cup (oil drop Tianmu) and red lacquer multi-petal flower shaped cupto Osaka Municipal Museum of Oriental Ceramics
▼ Song Dynasty Jianyao rabbit mill bundle mouth cup and lacquer art inlaid screw tungsten sauce, 2021 Beijing Poly about 17.5 million yuan auction
▼ Southern Song Dynasty Jianyao yao yao and carved lacquer floral pattern cup holder, Osaka Fujita Museum of Art collection
▼ Southern Song Dynasty Jianyao rabbit milli bunch mouth cup and pile Zhu Tang pattern cup holder, Linyuan Art Museum collection
▼ Southern Song Dynasty Jian kiln oil drop cup and Tang Hua Tang Cao Wen Luo Dian Tuo, Collection of Tokugawa Museum of Art
▼ Song Dynasty Jian kiln oil drop cup and black lacquer cup holder, Collection of Nezu Museum
▼ Southern Song Dynasty Jian kiln oil drop cup and vermilion rhinoceros cup holder, Jingjiatang Bunko Art Museum collection
▼ Southern Song Dynasty Jianyao Yao Changing Cup and Cupto, Jingjiatang Bunko Art Museum Collection
▼ Southern Song Dynasty Jian kiln oil drop cup and cup tray, Kyushu National Museum collection
▼ Southern Song Dynasty built kilns and cups, collection of the British Museum
▼ Detail figure 1
▼Detail figure 2
▼ Southern Song Dynasty Buckle silver depicting gold black lacquer toddler, excavated in 1998 from the tomb of Huang Zhuo in guxian County
▼ Southern Song Dynasty lacquer today, excavated in 1982 in Wujin District, Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, in front of the southern Song Tomb of Jiang Tang, is now in the Changzhou Museum
From the top, you can intuitively feel that the Song Dynasty cup support circle foot is high, the heart is concave, the face is open, the abdomen is neat and straight, and the soft lines outline the full silhouette, straight and beautiful, beautiful near and far.
In addition to the pick-up of rhinoceros and lacquered cup holders that match the Jianzhan, the Kilns of the Song Dynasty such as Ru Kiln and Ding Kiln also produced porcelain cup holders.
▼ Northern Song Dynasty Ru kiln azure glazed sunflower petal type cup holder, British Museum collection
▼ Song Dynasty official kiln green glaze cup holder, height 5.7 cm, caliber 8.1 cm, foot diameter 6.7 cm
▼ Song Dynasty Dingyao white glaze engraved back pattern cup holder, height 6.5 cm, caliber 8.6 cm, foot diameter 8.2 cm
▼ Northern Song Dynasty Jun kiln sky blue glaze cup holder, height 5.6 cm, caliber 5.9 cm, bottom diameter 4 cm
▼ Northern Song Dynasty Ding kiln persimmon glazed tea cup holder, collection of Harvard Art Museum, USA
▼ Song Celadon porcelain six holes with cup holder
Fourth, the characteristics of gold, yuan, Ming and Qingzhan - due to tea drinking, the style is changeable
After the Yuan Dynasty, the wind of tea fighting dissipated; coupled with the Ming Dynasty Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang's holy will of "strike the dragon group, but pick bud tea to advance", the group tea and cake tea were abolished, changed to loose tea, the way of drinking tea was completely changed, and drinking loose tea became the mainstream.
The change in the way of drinking tea has also promoted the replacement of tea drinking utensils. The lid bowl rises, and the Song Cup gradually declines.
▲ Qing Dynasty Jade glaze color lid bowl, through height 8 cm, caliber 11.6 cm
As a matching utensil, the cup has gone through the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and its practicality is mainly anti-scalding, and even evolved into a work of art for people to appreciate, and eventually faded out of the public's vision.
▼ Jin Dynasty Shanxi kiln mouth black glazed partridge spotted saucer
▼ Yuan Jun kiln purple spot cup and cup holder, for about 720,000 transactions
▼ Yuan Yaozhou black glaze cup and cup holder
▼ MotoKoda kiln tray, cup
▼ Ming Yongle Red Cloud Phoenix Pattern Cup, height 9 cm, caliber 9.7 cm, disc diameter 16.9 cm, foot diameter 8.4 cm
▼ Ming Zhu lacquer gold floral pattern cup holder
▼ Ming Dynasty Yongle Red Floral Pattern Saucer, height 10 cm, caliber 12 cm, plate diameter 21 cm, foot diameter 11.4 cm
▼ Qingqianlong Rosewood Dragon Amphora Cup Holder
▼ Late Ming and early Qing dynasties Filigree enamel enamel pattern sunflower petal type cup holder
▼ Qingqianlong Jade carved cup holder, Collection of Cleveland Museum, USA