The 'Holy Chalice' Journey of a Kaohsiung Ceramic Artist

【◎Written by Red-haired Ai-ling　◎Translation by Lin Yu-ciao　◎Photos by Carter　◎Photos courtesy of Zhang Gui-wei】

The Golden Iridescence Oil Spot Glaze Tenmoku Chalice, created by Kaohsiung ceramic artist Zhang Gui-wei（張桂維）, was presented to Pope Leo XIV in 2025 by a Taiwanese religious organization during a Vatican interfaith exchange event. It is the first chalice to fuse Eastern ceramic artistry with Western religious symbolism. According to reporters present at the scene, the Pope's “eyes lit up” upon receiving the gift.

Progressing beyond the Song Dynasty tradition of exclusively silver oil-drop glazes, Zhang incorporates the concepts of yin-yang and taiji to control firing conditions. In 2010, he successfully produced the world's first golden iridescence oil-spot glaze tenmoku work. In 2015, he created the unprecedented golden hare-fur style of tenmoku, and in 2019, he developed the firmament tenmoku. Continuously pushing new boundaries, his work has received high recognition from international academic and artistic communities and is collected by major museums in Taiwan and abroad, including the British Museum.

Read more Love Kaohsiung articles