Ziye Shipiao Yixing Zisha Teapot – Aged Duanni Clay, 150ml
Ziye Shipiao Yixing Zisha Teapot – Aged Duanni Clay, 150ml
This is a 150 ml shipiao teapot in Aged Duanni Clay, hand-carved, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 子冶石瓢.
The clay. Weathered duanni ore, which fires warmer and denser than fresh stock while keeping the family's open, sandy structure. Slightly more forgiving than young duanni, with the same clarity on light teas.
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. Decoration cut into the leather-hard clay by hand with a steel blade, in the Yixing engraving tradition that goes back to Chen Mansheng's collaborations with potters.
Size and tea. 150 ml serves two to three people from a single fill, which makes it the most generally useful size on a tea table. Best suited to raw pu-erh, green tea 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. 413, 150 ml, US$450. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.
Made by 宁刚. We buy directly from the workshop rather than through a wholesaler, so the attribution comes with the pot.
| Clay | Aged Duanni Clay (老段泥) |
|---|---|
| Form | Shipiao (石瓢) |
| Capacity | 150 ml |
| Craft | Hand-carved (刻绘) |
| Origin | Dingshu, Yixing, Jiangsu, China |
| Catalogue no. | 413 |
New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.
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