China, early Tang dynasty, 7th century
Diameter: 5 7/8 inches, 15 cm
Height: 3 1/2 inches, 8.2 cm

A bronze bowl of rounded U-section, supported on a tapered foot. The sides of the bowl are completely unadorned and terminate in an everted lip. The bronze has a high copper content, which is evident both in the patches of gold-coloured metal on the exterior, and the attractive patina, which includes extensive areas of malachite encrustation.

Plain vessels made of relatively thin bronze with a high copper and tin content, such as bottles, cups, bowls and basins were used in Buddhist rituals throughout the Tang dynasty. These vessels invariably rely on the strength of their form for effect, and their plainness very much befits Buddhist principles. A bronze basin and a spouted bowl, both of similar form were exhibited at the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art in Izumi, Japan in 1999.1

1 - Special Exhibition Tin-Bronze of China, October 10 – November 23, 1999, Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art, Izumi, Japan, no. 136