Xuan Ceramic Mugs - Xuan

Handcrafted by Dong Dan, CH, c. 2025

Each mug in this pair carries spontaneous yet deliberate brushwork that moves freely across its dark surface. The gestures, layered over Dong Dan’s signature black glaze between matte and gloss, evoke calligraphy in motion—an exploration of rhythm, control, and release. Balanced in curvature and weight, the form merges utility with quiet expression, transforming daily use into a meditative act.

Named for Xuan, a classical Chinese term signifying the profound, the unknowable, and the darkly luminous, the piece reflects Dong Dan’s interest in quiet spatial tension and subtle contrasts. A practitioner of Jizhou kiln techniques and glaze experimentation, he reinterprets Song Dynasty traditions through pared-back silhouettes and visual rhythm.

Sold as a set of 2.

• Dishwasher safe

“They come from my purest focus — a perfect roundness, a profound black, serene as a monument.”

Dong Dan’s ceramics are a testament to precision and serenity. Each piece is shaped by hand, achieving a flawless roundness, while the deep black glaze—crafted from Sichuan clay and straw ash—strikes a delicate balance between gloss and matte. Inspired by the ancient Jizhou kiln patterns, his designs feature intricate dots and circles that seem to expand and multiply, evoking the infinite cycles of nature.

For Dong Dan, creating ceramics is a disciplined practice. Every vessel undergoes a meticulous process of shaping, firing, and glazing, where even the smallest error can mean starting over. Yet, it is through this exacting process that his work achieves its quiet elegance—a reflection of life’s fragile balance, timeless in its simplicity and profound in its beauty.