middle kingdom at asia now

tea pot from the 'hermit series'


chinese born, american based design duo bo and alison jia founded middle kingdom in 1998.
the studio celebrates the traditions of chinese porcelain and craft, creating new objects which
are both subtle and elegant. their colorful tableware designs draw on the porcelain influences
of china's qing and ming dynasties.



'hermit series'


'hermit bowls' are influenced by the humble wares of imperial times. the bowls are fired
rim down to allow for a glazed foot ring and a contrasting rustic rim, though the original
reason for firing wares rim down was to save kiln space.



'red chamber' collection


vases from the 'red chamber' collection are named after the characters of a novel from
the qing dynasty entitled 'dream of the red chamber'. the styles and colors are as varied
in shape and vibrancy as the characters of the novel. an assortment of these styles have been
collected by the victoria and albert museum in london.



'red chamber' vases
image © designboom



installation view of middle kingdom's porcelain wares at 'asia now'
image © designboom



vases from the 'red chamber' series and 'polychrome bowls'
image © designboom


middle kingdom's porcelain polychrome bowls echo the refined aesthetic of ming porcelain. 



'hermit' bowl and 'red chamber' series
image © designboom



up close of a 'red chamber' vase
image © designboom



vessels from the 'red chamber' series
image © designboom



'red chamber' bowl
image © designboom



bowl from the 'scholar' series



'cold mountain' vessels


the 'cold mountain' vessels are the newest collection of middle kingdom. the series of
vases and bowls show the marks of the potter.



image © designboom



image © designboom