The Palace Lantern (宫灯, gongdeng) teapot is modelled on the round silk lanterns of the Chinese court. Body and lid together make the outline of a lantern: a full, rounded body with no neck, a lid that continues the curve, and a knob that repeats the whole shape in miniature.
This guide covers what defines the shape, its history, what to check, and our six Palace Lantern pots, listed at the end.
What defines the shape
A full, neckless body. The belly is rounded and swelling, the form sits relatively tall, and there is no neck between body and lid. A shallow mouth above and a foot ring below mirror each other.
A lantern outline. The domed lid is inset into the mouth, so that body and lid join into one complete lantern shape.
A knob that echoes the body — a small pearl or egg shape — plus a long three-bend spout and a large ear-shaped ring handle. Spout, knob and handle line up.
Besides the round form, there are also four-, six- and eight-sided Palace Lantern versions.
Where it comes from
The round Palace Lantern teapot is dated to the Qing dynasty, most often recorded from the early Qing through the Yongzheng reign; zhuni Palace Lanterns are typical Qing pieces. The lantern itself is said to have begun in the Eastern Han and flourished in the Sui and Tang. The teapot form is traditional with no known inventor. Representative makers include Hua Fengxiang in the early Qing and Hu Yaoting in the early Republic. A claim that Shi Dabin or Gongchun made a six-sided Palace Lantern exists, but is doubtful.
Sizes and clays: sources vs our catalogue
Sources name zini and zhuni as the usual clays and give a typical capacity of about 200 to 250 ml.
Our six run from 100 to 280 ml, with a median of 180 ml. Two sit inside that 200–250 ml band, and one is larger. Two are in red clays (Dahongpao and Zhuni); the others are in Golden Duanni (two), Xiekeqing and Yellow Jiangponi. Three of ours are wood-fired, one of them with a flame-cloud finish.
How to check a Palace Lantern
The lantern outline. Step back and look at the whole pot: body and lid should read as one symmetrical lantern.
No neck. The lid should rise straight from the shoulder, not from a collar.
The knob. It should look like a small version of the body.
Spout, knob and handle in line, with a smooth three-bend spout.
All 6 Palace Lantern pots in our catalogue
Every pot below has a full photo set on its product page. Click a number to see photos, price and availability.
| No. | Variant (as recorded) | Clay | Capacity | Craft | Maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 175 | Ruyi Palace Lantern | Golden Duanni | 220 ml | Wood-fired with a flame-cloud finish | Liu Qun |
| 211 | Ruyi Palace Lantern | Dahongpao | 160 ml | Fully handmade | — |
| 196 | Palace Lantern | Xiekeqing | 200 ml | Wood-fired | Liu Qun |
| 405 | Palace Lantern | Yellow Jiangponi | 120 ml | Hand-carved | Liu Xiuhua |
| 236 | Palace Lantern | Zhuni | 100 ml | Hand-finished with enamel decoration | Workshop potter (unnamed) |
| 178 | Palace Lantern | Golden Duanni | 280 ml | Wood-fired | Wu Jianqiang |
More shape guides: Xishi, Dezhong, Shipiao, Hanwa, Fanggu, Shuiping, Rongtian, Longdan, Qinquan, Palace Lantern, Gongchun.