Handmade Shipiao Yixing Zisha Teapot – Aged Zini Clay, 120ml
Handmade Shipiao Yixing Zisha Teapot – Aged Zini Clay, 120ml
This is a 120 ml shipiao teapot in Aged Zini Clay, fully handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 竹韵高石瓢.
The clay. Zini ore that has been weathered and stored for years before use. The saying in Yixing is that clay grows more supple with age — aged zini works more smoothly on the wheel and fires to a deeper, more settled purple. Mellower than fresh zini. The liquor comes through soft and rounded rather than bright, which is why long-time drinkers tend to gravitate to older stock.
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. Built entirely by hand — the wall is beaten out from a slab and joined without a mould. Inside the body you can still read the tool marks and the joint line, which is how the method is verified.
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 ripe pu-erh, aged white tea and black tea.
This pot. Catalogue no. 396, 120 ml, US$300. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.
Made by an independent Dingshu potter working outside the titled-master system. We do not attach a name we cannot verify.
| Clay | Aged Zini Clay (老紫泥) |
|---|---|
| Form | Shipiao (石瓢) |
| Capacity | 120 ml |
| Craft | Fully handmade (全手工) |
| Origin | Dingshu, Yixing, Jiangsu, China |
| Catalogue no. | 396 |
New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.
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