Tea-Leaf Container

Tang Dynasty, Famen Si

The outstanding vessel shown here is decorated with golden (gilt), flying geese that are applied to a silver frame of open basketwork. Much humbler receptacles, made of woven bamboo, would have been the prototype for this elegant tea-leaf container.

These are objects from an imperial tea-service. Their inclusion in the Famen Si crypt is early evidence for the importance of tea, whose practical function was to keep the monks awake during long nights of meditation and chanting the sutras.

The cult of tea originated in Tang China, and was subsequently adopted in Japan, where it was raised to amazing heights of refinement while mostly dropping its Buddhist origins.