Pitchers are also often referred to as fairing cups. This is quite descriptive of their use when it comes to serving tea. When serving more than one person, pouring from the pot into a pitcher and then using this pitcher to serve guests allows everyone to enjoy a similar tasting liqueur and to allow the tea to cool to a safe drinking temperature. No Taiwanese tea enthusiast would make tea without using one. As useful as they are, this one also makes a strong artistic statement. It is hand-decorated by renowned Taiwanese artist Bai Zong-Ping to match in size and in design the Luohan teapots and cups. Bai Zong-Ping is not only a master potter in his own right, he is also an exceptionally gifted painter and sculptor with a lively and colourful palette. His canvases remain ceramic objects he crafts in the pure Taiwanese tradition of instilling beauty to useful objects. Featuring the whimsical hand-painted characters called luóhàn 羅漢 or Lohans, which is how buddhist arhats are referred to here, these depictions play on the imperfections of their attainments on the path of enlightenment where lowly desires like good food and drink have not been fully eliminated and relapse into the pleasures of life remain possible. This particular item features the representation of a desperate Luohan who is looking for wine-drinking partners 找酒伴. Made from the highest quality porcelain, the hand-painted surface receives a generous high-gloss top glaze. After all, with its generous 400 ml capacity, you could also use it to serve wine! Needless to say, these are unique items, signed by the artist, and proudly handcrafted in Taiwan.