Tea encyclopedia
Yixing Teapots: Understanding Material and Form
Yixing teaware brings material and vessel form together. A useful starting point is a documented historical object, rather than a claim about an unidentified pot.
A museum reference
The Metropolitan Museum of Art records a nineteenth-century Chinese teapot made of red stoneware, identified as Yixing ware. The object belongs to its collection, with accession number 44.39.1a, b. It is an educational reference, not a piece offered for sale by Sandao.
Look at the whole vessel
When considering a contemporary teapot, ask about capacity, lid fit, the handle and the pouring experience. Photographs should show the body, lid, spout and base. Material labels alone do not answer these practical questions.
Ask for documented details
Ask the supplier to specify the clay description, origin, making process and measurements for the actual piece. An artist attribution or historical date requires supporting information. A museum reference can provide context; it cannot authenticate a different pot.
Explore further
Explore the Yixing collection or send a teapot inquiry.
Reference and image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, object 44.39.1a, b. Image marked Public Domain by The Met.