Jingzhou Shipiao Yixing Zisha Teapot – Golden Duanni Clay, 320ml
Jingzhou Shipiao Yixing Zisha Teapot – Golden Duanni Clay, 320ml
This is a 320 ml shipiao teapot in Golden Duanni Clay, wood-fired with hand carving, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 景舟石瓢.
The clay. The duanni that fires brightest — a clear, luminous gold, with an unusually fine and even grain for the family. Deepens from yellow toward amber as it is used, so the colour of the pot and the colour of the liquor start to answer each other. Best on lighter teas where that can be seen.
The form. The Shipiao form (石瓢) dates to the Qing dynasty, Jiaqing–Daoguang era, attributed to Chen Mansheng and Yang Pengnian. Originally called shidiao, one of the eighteen Mansheng forms. The name carries a line from Su Dongpo and a Buddhist idea — of three thousand rivers, one drinks a single gourd. Triangular in profile, flat-bodied, standing on three small feet. Plain to the point of severity, and completely stable on the table. The form most often described as great skill appearing clumsy.
How it was made. Wood-fired, with carving cut by hand before the firing — so the ash settles into the incised lines.
Size and tea. 320 ml is a sharing pot. It suits a table of four or more, or a long single steep of something you want to drink slowly over an afternoon. Best suited to green tea, raw pu-erh and light oolong.
One honest note on duanni-family clays: because the body is pale and very open, dark and heavily roasted teas can leave uneven marks if the pot is handled with oily hands or left wet. Rinse it, dry it, and keep it to lighter teas and it will come up beautifully.
This pot. Catalogue no. 183, 320 ml, US$120. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.
Made by 吴建强. We buy directly from the workshop rather than through a wholesaler, so the attribution comes with the pot.
| Clay | Golden Duanni Clay (黄金段) |
|---|---|
| Form | Shipiao (石瓢) |
| Capacity | 320 ml |
| Craft | Wood-fired with hand carving (柴烧刻绘) |
| Origin | Dingshu, Yixing, Jiangsu, China |
| Catalogue no. | 183 |
New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.
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