Painted Pumpkin Yixing Teapot

This charming teapot may well be the belle of the Yixing ball: fashioned in the form of a swelling autumnal pumpkin, the artist has balanced simplified abstraction with naturalistic flairs. Four curving lobes make up the body of the gourd, the joins meeting at the base to leave a perfect square for the seal, while the lid, handle, and spout are embellished by vines, leaves, and—what's this?—a tiny ladybug crowning the stem! The emphasis on earth tones—mostly red and yellow—for decoration keeps the design focused on the red-orange material, while the shaping conceals functional features, namely an air hole which can stop the flow of tea by being covered and a small notch to ensure the asymmetric lid is placed the right way around. With a built-in ball filter channeling tea into the cutely crooked spout, the only question for the user is which type of tea to dedicate it to.

Written by Dimitri

The clay

The yellowish duanni (缎泥) ore is the lightest of typical Yixing ores, and depending on the exact composition and firing can range from from green to grey, yellow to orange. It can smooth astringency, though some also enjoy using it with lighter teas—white, yellow, and even green.

Lao duanni (老段泥) has been stored for many years before use, allowing the clay to break down for better shaping.

Why do I need a Yixing teapot?

The material and the shape of Yixing teapots are ideal for brewing tea. They bring out the tea flavor like no other tea vessel. Hand-made Yixing teapots are also valuable handicrafts sought after by collectors. Their value raises with time, usage and artist popularity.

Yixing teapots are made of a rare and depleting clay mined in the mountains near Yixing, a city in the Jiangsu province. The high density yet porous nature of the clay absorbs the smell of the tea brewed in it. For this reason, it is advised to use the pot with only one kind of tea (for instance with black teas or green teas). Bring your tea to the next level; allow yourself an authentic Yixing teapot.