Cheese Sculptural Form Yixing Zisha Teapot – Golden Duanni Clay, 90ml
Cheese Sculptural Form Yixing Zisha Teapot – Golden Duanni Clay, 90ml
This is a 90 ml cheese sculptural form teapot in Golden Duanni Clay, partially handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 猫和老鼠.
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 subject here is mouse — in Chinese decorative vocabulary, the first animal of the zodiac, associated with gathering wealth. 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. At 90 ml this is a solo pot. One person, short infusions, and the small volume means you can push a good leaf through eight or ten steeps without ever brewing more than you drink. 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. 011, 90 ml, US$180. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.
Made by 韩传杰. 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 | Cheese Sculptural Form (奶酪仿生器) |
| Capacity | 90 ml |
| Craft | Partially handmade (半手工) |
| Origin | Dingshu, Yixing, Jiangsu, China |
| Catalogue no. | 011 |
New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.
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Or browse every Golden Duanni pot · the full Yixing catalogue.
