【Yan】Jingdezhen tea set- Small teapot with a loop handle*1+teacups*2

The small-handled teapot made in Jingdezhen is a kind of tea ware with distinctive features.

This set of tea ware consists of one small-handled teapot and two teacups.

1.Historical Origin

The handled teapot has a rather long history. It is said that Su Shi, a famous poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, when giving lectures at Dushan Mountain in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, specially asked someone to fire a handled teapot designed by himself for the convenience of making and drinking tea when going out. Later generations named this kind of teapot as the “handled teapot” or “Dongpo Teapot”. And the production process of the handled teapot in Jingdezhen has gradually formed its own style and characteristics during its continuous development.

2.Material and Craftsmanship

*Material: Both the small-handled teapot and the teacups in this set adopt high-quality jade clay. After careful screening and processing, it ensures that the bodies of them are fine in texture and as white as jade. Jade clay is rich in various minerals, which makes the fired small-handled teapot have good air permeability and water absorption, and can better display the aroma and taste of tea. *Craftsmanship: The production process is extremely elaborate and complicated, including steps such as throwing, shaping, carving, painting, and firing. Throwing is the foundation of making the handled teapot. Craftsmen need to rely on their superb skills to pull the porcelain clay into the shape of the teapot. In the shaping process, fine adjustments and modifications need to be made to all parts of the teapot to ensure that the proportion of the teapot is coordinated and the lines are smooth.

3.Modeling Characteristics

*Body of the Teapot: Generally, it is small and exquisite, with a moderate capacity, suitable for use by one person or a few people. The shape of this small-handled teapot is the most common round one, giving people a feeling of roundness and cuteness.

*Handle: The handle is an important part of the small-handled teapot. It not only has a practical function but also plays a decorative role. The shape of the handle of this small-handled teapot is square, which echoes the shape of the body of the teapot, making the overall shape of the teapot more coordinated and unified.

4.Painted Decoration

The painted decoration of the small-handled teapot made in Jingdezhen is one of its major features. Craftsmen use various painting techniques, such as famille rose, blue and white, and doucai, to draw exquisite patterns and decorative designs on the body of the teapot. This small-handled teapot chooses the famille rose technique. The famille rose small-handled teapot has bright and soft colors, and the patterns are delicate and lifelike.

5.Functional Uses

The small-handled teapot made in Jingdezhen is mainly used for making tea. Its small size and exquisite shape make it very suitable for use in homes, teahouses, offices and other places. Since the body of the small-handled teapot is relatively small, the contact area between tea leaves and water is relatively small, so it can better control the soaking time of tea leaves and the concentration of tea soup, thus making a more delicious tea soup.