[清本源 x Gohobi Gallery] Thin-Body Blue & White Gaiwan with Inner-Impressed “Li Bai by the Fire” Design – Horseshoe Lid Form (140ml)

This thin-body blue-and-white gaiwan carries the spirit of late-Ming literati into porcelain, transforming historical tension, poetic defiance, and quiet integrity into a vessel for tea.

The soul of Chongzhen-era blue-and-white lies not in flawless precision, but in a sense of wholeness born from fragmentation. Brushwork may be unrestrained, yet moral backbone remains unwavering. Empty space may feel desolate, yet intention must be sincere. This gaiwan inherits that ethos, allowing looseness of line to coexist with unyielding spirit.

The inner-impressed “Li Bai by the Fire” scene draws upon the Poet Immortal as a symbolic mirror for late-Ming scholars living amid collapse. Robe folds are rendered with angular, broken strokes, their abrupt turns echoing the instability of the age. The lines feel raw and decisive, prioritising conviction over refinement. Hair and beard are drawn with tapered, resilient brushwork, delicate yet firm, embodying a spirit that bends without breaking.

White space plays an equally vital role. Mountains appear only in fragments, landscapes dissolve into suggestion, and broad expanses of untouched porcelain evoke a world diminished but not defeated. This restraint carries the sentiment of “the world may be broken, but the heart remains whole,” allowing silence to speak as powerfully as ink.

The thin porcelain body becomes a quiet metaphor in itself. Its lightness supports the weight of history; its translucence allows blue to glow softly from within. When tea is poured, the imagery subtly shifts through light and liquid, as though the poet’s presence warms and stirs beneath the surface. In this way, the gaiwan transforms use into remembrance, and brewing into reflection.

The horseshoe lid form offers balance and assurance, grounding the vessel while remaining fluid in the hand. Together with the thin body, it creates a tactile experience that feels responsive and alive, encouraging attentive, unhurried tea practice.

Diameter: 9.2 cm
Height: 8.3 cm
Capacity: 140 ml

The listed price is for one gaiwan. Each piece is individually handcrafted, and natural variations in cobalt tone, translucency, and brushwork are part of its unique character. Customers are welcome to request a private video viewing for a closer look. Orders are shipped using reused or recycled packaging wherever possible.

A gaiwan shaped by poetry and fracture—where late-Ming resolve resurfaces in blue and white, and where the spirit of “freedom without softness, looseness without loss of strength” continues to speak quietly through tea.