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| Yixing
Clay Teapots
An infinite array of styles and designs were fashioned by early potters, such as the famous Gong Chun, from clay deposits located near the town of Yixing (pronounced yeeshing). Over the centuries, the potters, the clay deposits, the town and the pots have become inseparable, all sharing the celebrated name Yixing. |
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| For more than
five hundred years the art of tea has been skillfully interpreted the
exquisite "purple sand" (zisha) discovered in China near lake
Tai. Situated west of Shanghai in Jaingsu province, the lake's sparkling
blue-green water has reflected since the early 1500s the constant development
of a renowned classic Chinese art form, the Yixing clay teapot. |
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| Contemporary
Yixing artists continue the ancient tradition of creating from themes
of nature and their own inspired imaginations, an astonishing variety
of teapot designs. Many aspects of the Chinese culture are beautifully
brought to life and preserved for future generations through the medium
of these treasures works of art. The teapot shown is one in a series of three museum pieces depicting the seasonal changes in the dan gui tree. The pot's name is Qui (pronounced similar to cheeyou), a Chinese word for autumn, and shows the budding dan gui branch, which blossoms only in the fall. |
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| The second pot in the series displays the elegance of the mature dan gui flower and the third is a wonderful spectacle of the tree's ripened fruit. A rabbit reposes on the lid, symbolizing the story of the jade hare, a white mythical creature that lives in the moon accompanied only by a dan gui branch and Change-e, the lunar goddess. The arc of the pot's handle represents the rising moon in Autumn. The Chinese believe that the lunar disk is most beautiful in the fall and that the jade hare, a branch of the dan gui tree, and the goddess can bee seen in the full moon. |  |
| Similar mythical
stories and tales of famous historical figures are deftly conjured from
a rainbow selection of Yixing's colorful clays, including the legendary
"purple sand." Varying shades of subtle earth tones, primarily
umbers, reds, and ochres, comprise the standard palette of clay colors
that are most frequently used. Other popular colors spanning the spectrum
are formulated by the artists from the unique clays found in the area. Pots designed in clays of vibrant greens, blues, blacks, and vermilions glisten as jewels among the soft warmth of their elegant beige, taupe, and dove-grey companions. |
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