Perfect Form, Perfectly Spare Chinese Stoneware Ear Cup, c. 600 AD fine needlework with tears and rough edges

with tears and rough edges here and there

that also feel like contemporary artworks

Table measures 5" t x 3 9/16" x 3 3/16"

7 3/8 x 5 11/16 in (18

this graphite drawing is one of a few more I'm listing from the same stash

Perfect Form, Perfectly Spare Chinese Stoneware Ear Cup, c. 600 AD fine needlework with tears and rough edgesTo my eye the most perfectly minimal, perfectly proportioned shallow vessel, just what it needs to be and not a thing more, this is a very old Chinese "ear cup", c 600 AD, which I purchased from a collector, dealer and friend in Maine. Chinese ear cups, or 'erbei' in Chinese, are an ancient form, functional as vessels for drinking, but more broadly embodying Chinese philosophy, aesthetics, and social customs and exquisite craftsmanship. And indeed,