The Nebula Cup — Shino Wood-Fired Teacup

The Nebula Cup — A Galaxy Caught in Clay

Tall-footed and celestial, this is a cup that seems to float above the tea table. Its surface is a drifting field of blue-grey and ash-white crawled glaze — cloud-like formations shifting across a dark, iron-rich ground, catching light differently with every turn of the hand. The interior glows in deep cobalt, pooling white at the base like a star being born.

Glaze & Surface: The exterior carries a distinctive crawled Shino glaze in cool blue-grey and off-white, fractured and lifted from the surface during firing to create a texture that is at once geological and celestial — like ice floes seen from above, or nebula clouds photographed through deep space. Beneath the crawled patches, a warm iron-brown clay body shows through, grounding the cool palette with an earthy warmth. Flashes of mineral blue-violet emerge at certain angles, catching light with an almost iridescent quality. The rim edge is ringed in a thin band of raw iron-brown — the kiln's natural border. The interior is smooth and luminous: a rich, deep cobalt blue that deepens toward the centre, with a pool of white ash glaze gathered at the base — still, quiet, and unexpectedly beautiful.

Form & Feel:

• Distinctive high foot ring — unique in the collection, elevating the cup with quiet elegance
• Gently flared, drum-shaped body — waist narrows before opening upward toward the lip
• Irregular, hand-pinched rim — wave-like and organic, no two points exactly alike
• 310g weight — substantial without being heavy, balanced perfectly on the high foot
• Smooth cobalt interior contrasts dramatically with the rough, crawled exterior

For the Art of Tea: The high foot makes this cup a natural centrepiece — elevated, poised, and impossible to ignore. It is equally suited to gongfu cha and single-serve brewing, and particularly beautiful when held up to the light, where the interior cobalt seems to deepen and shift. A cup for slow mornings, for the tea you've been saving, for the moment that deserves something remarkable.

One of a kind. Wood-fired in a single kiln firing. Never to be repeated.

Care

Suitable for contact with tea. Hand wash gently and avoid abrasive cleaners. Variations and firing marks are part of this one-of-a-kind handmade piece.