Jian-ware tea bowls. China. Song period (960 - 1279). Glazed stoneware, Jian ware. Jian tea bowls are often of a similar shape: a slight narrowing just below the rim and an angular connection between base and bowl. Just above the base the glaze culminates in a border of large drops. Because of the thick layer of glaze the tea remains warm longer. The Jian kilns were famous for their hare's-furglaze: brown markings over an almost blackground. Westendorp bequest.