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Yixing Teapots
Dating back to the Sung Dynasty (900-1200 A.D.), Yixing tea pots are small, beautifully crafted vessels for brewing teas. Because they are porous, these pots absorb the flavor, scent and tint of teas brewed in them. After fifteen years of continued usage, one is able to steep a cup of tea in a Yixing tea pot without adding tea leaves.
Our current collection of Yixing Tea Pots was commissioned in the Spring of 2008. We bypassed Yixing itself, the city for which the tea pots are named and where the tea pots are traded, choosing instead to work with various artist studios in Dingshan, a smaller town about 10 minutes away and closer to where the actual raw materials for Yixing tea pots are quarried.
Two factors determine the quality of a Yixing tea pot, the clay and the craftsmanship. Our choice of Dingshan studios ensures that the clay is true, oxide rich Zisha (purple clay). The variation in color and texture of the tea pots come from the various metallic oxides in Zisha, and how those oxides react to different firing temperatures.
With the material as the starting point, we sought out craftsman at three different skill levels.
Our Master tea pots are crafted by skilled experts with years of experience. Each tea pot exhibits the deft skill, precision and artistic flair of the Master potter. Each comes with a signed certificate from the artist.
Our Artisan tea pots are crafted by highly skilled ceramicists who have just graduated from the tutelage of a Master. Some of the tea pots in this collection are the first independent works of young, highly talented artists. We feel that these are the most worthy of investment, as the reputation and fame of the artists in this group and the value of their work will grow with time.
Our Apprentice tea pots are crafted by students who are still under the strict guidance of a Master ceramicist. They are simple, very functional tea pots that are great for first time Yixing collectors.
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| Artisan Yixing, style 600 |
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| Artisan Yixing, style 601 |
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| Artisan Yixing, style 602 |
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| Artisan Yixing, style 603 |
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| Artisan Yixing, style 604 |
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| Artisan Yixing, style 606 |
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| Artisan Yixing, style 605 |
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| Apprentice Yixing, style 700 |
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| Apprentice Yixing, style 701 |
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| Apprentice Yixing, style 702 |
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| Apprentice Yixing, style 703 |
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| Apprentice Yixing, style 704 |
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| Apprentice Yixing, style 705 |
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| Six Sided Sutra |
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| Cloud |
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