999 Sterling Silver Qín Melody Tea Cup

The guqin, China's most venerated stringed instrument, was in Tang culture the scholar's companion above all others, its seven strings and spare, resonant tone representing the union of scholarship, music and contemplative depth that the Tang ideal demanded. The 999 Sterling Silver Qin Melody Tea Cup translates this musical and scholarly atmosphere into the tea vessel, its high-fired ceramic body dressed in an S999 sterling silver exterior overlay painted with a scene of scholars at the guqin amidst serene landscapes, available in the Qin and Fine design variants.

Key Features

• Material: High-fired ceramic with S999 sterling silver exterior overlay
• Capacity: 40ml
• Available in: Qin Tea Cup, Fine Tea Cup

Artisan Craftsmanship

The Qin Melody scene on the S999 sterling silver exterior overlay of this tea cup is rendered in the tradition of Tang narrative painting: figures placed within a landscape of mountains, water and pavilions, the scene readable as both a specific moment and a timeless archetype of scholarly retreat. The Qin variant maintains the scene's spare, classical character; the Fine variant introduces additional decorative elements that enrich the visual field whilst maintaining the scholarly register. Both are executed with the precision of court-quality miniature painting on a 40ml vessel.

Cultural Symbolism

The guqin and the tea ceremony share a deep symbolic kinship in Chinese culture: both are practices of focused attention that reward the practitioner with a quality of presence not easily obtained elsewhere. To drink from a cup painted with the scholar at the guqin is to invoke the same quality of attention in the tea: to listen to the brew as the scholar listens to the instrument, with the full quiet engagement of a mind at rest in its proper activity.

The Perfect Gift

A gift of unusual depth for a tea drinker who is also a musician, a scholar or an appreciator of the contemplative arts. The 40ml tasting format makes it an intimate, serious cup, suited to a gift that communicates a real understanding of the recipient's inner life and aesthetic values.

Imperial Brocade Gift Box

For those who wish to present this piece in a manner befitting its heritage, the Imperial Brocade Gift Box is available as a top-up of $32.80. Inspired by the richly patterned brocade silks of the Tang imperial court, the box elevates every gifting occasion into a ceremony of its own, enveloping the piece in layers of cultural symbolism and regal presentation.

Where the guqin sounds and the tea cools to perfect temperature, the scholar's world is complete.