Yuan Bao Yixing Zisha Teapot – Dicaoqing Zini Clay, 120ml

This is a 120 ml yuan bao teapot in Dicaoqing Zini Clay, partially handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 元宝.

The clay. The most prized layer of the zini seam, cut from the very bottom of the deposit and recognisable by the green 'chicken-eye' inclusions in the raw ore. It fires purple with a green cast and a dense, jade-like surface. Dense yet still breathable — an unusual combination. Collectors seek it out because the patina stays restrained and deepens slowly rather than turning glossy.

The form. The subject here is silver ingot — in Chinese decorative vocabulary, wealth, in its most direct form. Naturalistic work — huaqi — takes its subject from the living world: gourds, pine, bamboo, lotus, fruit, animals. It descends directly from Gongchun's tree-burl pot, the founding object of the craft. Each piece is modelled and carved rather than turned, so no two come out the same.

How it was made. Formed with the help of a mould for the body, with the spout, handle, lid and finishing worked by hand. A well-made half-handmade pot is a good pot; the difference is in labour, not in whether it brews well.

Size and tea. 120 ml is the classic gongfu size — comfortable for one drinker or two sharing small cups, and the volume most Chaoshan-style brewing was built around. Best suited to aged pu-erh, yancha and black tea.

This pot. Catalogue no. 057, 120 ml, US$85. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

Made by 王召仁. We buy directly from the workshop rather than through a wholesaler, so the attribution comes with the pot.

New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.

Similar teapots

• Handmade Wu Chen Yixing Zisha Teapot — Chijin Zini Clay, 120 ml, $85
• Handmade Wu Chen Yixing Zisha Teapot — Chijin Zini Clay, 130 ml, $85
• Handmade Rongtian Yixing Zisha Teapot — Chijin Zini Clay, 140 ml, $85

Or browse every Dicaoqing Zini pot · the full Yixing catalogue.