Dave Finkelnburg on thu 22 may 03
Ivor,
Yixing teapots are a pretty ancient tradition in China. People make
them unglazed today because they've been unglazed for centuries. I doubt
you can get a good explanation of why. I suspect because the local clay
vitrifies well enough and is smooth and fine enough to permit it.
Here's are two of many websites with a little history (slanted to the
seller's interests of course, and I have no relationship with either site)
and showing the incredible variety of these teapots.
The majority of the people in the town of Yixing work in clay or supply
materials to people who work in clay. They make everything from slipcast
junk to export to Australia (I saw it being made!) to 1-meter diameter water
jars to teapots to lots of glazed ware. The teapots are used all over
China, by average folks, for daily tea brewing. Unglazed is the rule.
Quality varies a lot.
All the best,
Dave
http://www.culturalgiftshop.com/history.htm
http://www.stonelantern.com/yixingteapots1.html
iandol on sun 25 may 03
Dear Dave,
Thanks for that run down on the teapots.
My older Daughter was in Melbourne late last year. There is a shop
which sells nothing else but Yixing Ware. The prices are not low. I
had a look at some in Chinatown in Adelaide recently. Thought about
getting one just out of curiosity but kept my cash in my pocket. I did
like the curved strainer, conforms to my own teapot design principles!
Best regards,
Ivor.
Snail Scott on sun 25 may 03
At 02:27 PM 5/25/03 +0930, you wrote:
>There is a shop
>which sells nothing else but Yixing Ware. The prices are not low. I
>had a look at some in Chinatown in Adelaide recently. Thought about
>getting one...
Yixing teapots vary a lot is quality, which accounts
(in part) for the large variations in price. Judge
one just as you would any other claywork. Are the
mold seams neatly cleaned, or still visible or rough?
Is the inside smoothly finished? Are the parts
assembled well, or crudely? Is the design graceful,
charming, cute, elegant, or whatever you prize in
form, or awkward and clumsy? Trust your own judgement,
and don't let the 'Yixing' name be your only criterion.
-Snail
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