Terms of zisha Teapots
This post was last edited by AyaCica at 2025-8-21 10:57Through generations of artisans'inheritance and practice, purple clay teapots have developed standardizedproduction principles. Structurally, they can be divided into three maincategories:
[*]Plain Ware: Including square and round teapots.
[*]Ribbed Ware: Teapots divided vertically, horizontally, or rotationally by lines.
[*]Sculpted Ware: Teapots with naturalistic decorations, which are integrated as the main body of the teapot.
In terms of production structure, they canalso be divided into main parts and accessories:
[*]Main parts: Teapot body, spout base, bottom, feet, lid, and knob (dezi).
[*]Accessories: Spout (liu) and handle, etc.
The main parts and accessories involverelationships such as configuration, proportion, contour transitions, light andshadow buffering in joining techniques, contrast between solid and space, andbalance between practicality and artistic appreciation.
Purple clay teapots are beloved for theirperfect functional beauty and the visual appeal of their main shape. The keylies in the configuration of accessories and main parts, the fit between thespout base and lid, the style of the spout, the treatment of the footstructure, the proportion of the knob, and the comfort of the handle.Therefore, only a reasonable structure and flawless artistic effect can formthe unique modeling language of purple clay teapots, making them timeless.1. Knob (HuNiu)Also known as dezi, the knob isdesigned to lift the lid. Though small, it plays a "finishing touch"role with rich variations and is a key part of teapot design. Common typesinclude:
[*]Spherical knob: Most commonly used in round teapots, in shapes like beads, flat hats, or cylinders. Often a scaled-down or inverted version of the teapot body, it is made through the nian zhai zi process—kneading, rotating, and pressing, which is simple and efficient.
[*]Bridge-shaped knob: Resembling an arch bridge, it can be cylindrical, square-barred, or ribbed with ruyi patterns. It may have single or double rings (also called "linked lid"). A lid with a flat surface and large ring hole is known as a "cow-nose lid."
[*]Melon stalk knob: Frequently used in sculpted ware, such as pumpkin stalks, watermelon stalks, or gourds with attached branches and leaves, creating a vivid shape.
[*]Animal-shaped knob: Derived from seal knobs, featuring lions, tigers, dragons, fish, etc. They can be realistic, abstract, or archaistic, as long as they harmonize with the main body.
[*]Tree stump knob: Shaped like plants or fruits, such as plum stumps, bamboo roots, or grapes, crafted through 捏塑.
[*]Fancy knobs and others: With the development of new ceramic art forms, traditional styles are broken—some teapots replace the knob with a lid edge larger than the spout base, integrating the lid and knob into one.
2. Spout (Hu Zui)The spout of a purple clay teapot islikened to one of the five sense organs. When it connects to the teapot bodywith a clear boundary, it is called mingjie ("visiblejoint"); when it merges naturally without a clear boundary, it iscalled anjie ("hidden joint"). For example, thehandle and spout of the Hanbian (Han-style flat) teapot alignwith the shoulder and side lines of the body, creating a smooth and flowingshape.
[*]Spout types: Known as liu, the spout is designed for pouring tea. Smooth pouring without dripping, a steady stream from seven inches high without splashing, and silent flow into the cup all depend on the thickness and smoothness of the spout, as well as the holes in the teapot body, spout, and lid. Based on traditional models, they can be divided into:
[*]One-curve spout: Shaped like a bird's beak, commonly called "one-peck spout," usually with hidden joints.
[*]Two-curve spout: With a larger base, it pours smoothly and can have either visible or hidden joints.
[*]Three-curve spout: Derived from bronze and tin teapot shapes, widely used in early teapots, often with visible joints.
[*]Straight spout: Simple in shape, with smooth pouring, available with visible or hidden joints.
[*]Duck-bill spout: Derived from milk cup designs, generally used in tea sets and coffee sets.
The above basic shapes of one-curve,two-curve, and three-curve spouts can be further decorated with ribs orsculpted patterns to match the handle.
[*]Holes in the teapot body: In the Ming Dynasty, most teapots had a single hole. In the mid to late Qing Dynasty, multi-hole designs emerged (3, 7, 9 holes, etc.). In the 1970s, purple clay teapots exported to Japan once used spherical holes (on the side). The holes must be neatly arranged, aligned with the spout, and positioned according to the spout shape.
3. Handle (Hu Ba)Designed for easy holding, handles derivedfrom the strip-shaped handles of porcelain ewers are called bing.The handle is placed from the shoulder to the lower part of the teapot body,symmetrically balanced with the spout. They can be divided into three types:
[*]End handle (Duan Ba): Also known as "loop handle," it is easy to use with rich variations. The handle, spout base, and spout form a horizontal, symmetrical, or vertical arrangement, creating a dignified and stable effect.
[*]Horizontal handle (Heng Ba): Derived from the handle of clay pots, mostly used for cylindrical teapots.
[*]Carry beam (Ti Liang): Adapted from bronze and other vessels. In addition to matching the size of the teapot body, the height should be such that the hand does not touch the knob when lifting. There are rigid and flexible carry beams, used in both plain and sculpted ware with diverse variations.
4. Lid (HuGai)A unique feature of purple clay teapots isthat both the interior and exterior are unglazed, allowing the lid and body tobe fired together. This ensures the finished lid fits tightly, rotatessmoothly, prevents dust, and retains heat. There are three main types:
[*]Press lid (Ya Gai): Also called "complete lid," it covers the spout base. Its edge can be square or round, matching the spout base. The clay piece flush with the spout base is called zuo pian ("base piece"), the curved piece is xu pian ("hollow piece"), the spout base clay piece is tuo zi ("base ring"), and the clay ring on the teapot wall is zi kou ("child mouth"). These parts are joined with clay paste, creating a seamless, natural look. A lid slightly larger than the outer diameter of the spout base is commonly called tian ya di ("heaven pressing earth"), meeting both functional and visual needs.
[*]Inlaid lid (Qian Gai): Fitted inside the spout base, merging with the teapot body. It is divided into flat inlaid and hollow inlaid lids. Top-grade inlaid lids have a gap "as thin as paper or hair." Flat inlaid lids are flush with the spout base, cut from the same clay piece during production to ensure consistent shrinkage, with only a paper-thin gap. They come in round, square, irregular, or tree stump shapes. Hollow inlaid lids have a curved or other shape matching the spout base, with neat contours. The spout base is decorated with lines, featuring structures like straight mouths, gourd mouths, or male-female mouths. Similar to flat inlaid lids, they are valued for tightness, precision, and smooth rotation.
[*]Cut lid (Jie Gai): A unique lid style for purple clay teapots, named because it is made by cutting a section from the teapot body. It is concise, smooth, and unified. The finished lid not only fits the spout base in size but also aligns perfectly with the outer contour, requiring high technical skill. There are cut lids, 克制 cut lids, and inlaid cut lids.
5. Bottom (Hu Di)The bottom and feet are also key to theoverall shape; their size and style directly affect the visual beauty. Thebottom can be divided into three types, with joining methods of visible orhidden joints: straight square or upright shapes are suitable for visiblejoints, while round, mellow shapes are better with hidden joints.
[*]One-press bottom (Yi Na Di): Since purple clay teapots are unglazed, there is no risk of sticking to the kiln during firing. This method saves labor and time, creating a clean, concise look for round teapots.
[*]Added bottom (Jia Di): A foot ring is added during body formation, joined with clay paste (also called "hollowed foot"). The foot ring should match the main shape, processed with tools like fu zi and le zi. Some designs borrow flowerpot bottom techniques, such as "an men" (secret door) on square teapots or flat trapezoidal tenon feet.
[*]钉足 (Ding Zu): Derived from the tripod feet of bronze vessels, they support the teapot stably without being cumbersome, exuding vitality. The size, height, thickness, and thinness of the nails should harmonize with the main body. Round teapots generally use three 钉足.
Types of Yixing ClayYixing clay comes in many varieties,generally divided into white clay, jia ni (armor clay), andtender clay:
[*]White clay: A grayish-white, simple silty aluminum clay.
[*]Jia ni: A purplish, variegated silty clay.
[*]Tender clay: A yellowish or grayish variegated clay.
Yixing clay can be roughly classified bycolor and origin into: 本山甲泥 (Ben Shan Jia Ni), 东山甲泥 (Dong Shan Jia Ni), 涧众甲泥 (JianZhong Jia Ni), 西山嫩泥 (Xi Shan Nen Ni), whiteclay, yellow clay, green clay, black clay, reddish-brown clay, and purple clay(zisha ni), etc.
Jia ni isa shale deep underground, also called shi gu ("stonebone"). Tender clay is a surface clay with varying hardness, fineness, andrefractoriness. White clay, yellow clay, green clay, and purple clay can berefined by water elutriation and used alone to make pottery; other clays needto be mixed to achieve good performance.
The main raw material for purple claypottery is purple clay, including purple mud, red mud, and green mud. Purplemud is an interlayer in the jia ni ore bed, with a purplishcolor, fine and flexible texture, strong plasticity, and good permeability—anexcellent quality clay. Similar types include bright red mud, black mud, whitemud, 本山绿泥 (Ben Shan Lu Ni), and dark green mud.These clays are hidden under rock layers, mixed in interlayer mud, hence called"rock within rock, mud within mud." When mined, they appear as rockyblocks, which are weathered into bean-sized particles, ground, mixed with waterto form raw clay blocks, and then repeatedly kneaded to compress and toughenthe clay for shaping.
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