Tea and incense have always made sense together. A little background fragrance can set the mood of a tea session. This handmade Tea Demon incense holder brings a pleasant aroma to the tea table with a good amount of personality.
The piece is handmade from Jianshui Zitao (建水紫陶), the unglazed pottery of southern Yunnan, by the pottery artist Xue (薛). Jianshui clay is dense, fine-grained, unglazed, and polished after firing. Polishing gives the surface a smooth, natural sheen while keeping the character of the clay visible. Here, the red-brown and darker black tones work especially well with the creature’s exaggerated face, wide eyes, horns, teeth, and slightly chaotic, funny expression.
His one hand holds a small teapot, the other – a cup-shaped holder for stick incense. There is also a place on top for cone incense, so the piece can be used in multiple ways. Once the incense is lit, the Tea Demon looks like he has taken his job very seriously – guarding the tea table and holding the fragrance.
Like many good handmade objects, part of its charm is in the small irregularities – the expression, the surface marks, the firing tones, the slight roughness in the details. This Tea Demon is strange and oddly endearing. A proper incense holder, and maybe also a part-time tea pet when needed.
Material: Jianshui Zitao (建水紫陶)
Made by: Handmade by Xue (薛)
Dimensions: 2.75in x 3in / 7cm x 7.5cm
NOTE: Incense is not included!
NOTE: Avoid using detergents when cleaning.
