Yixing Teapot Ornamentation and Inscription

Yixing teapots are some of the most beautiful and oldest in existence. There are many different styles of decoration and ornamentation on these teapots, each very beautiful and unique. What defines a yixing teapot as a yixing teapot, is the type of clay that is used and where it is made. These teapots use a special kind of clay that is found in the Yixing region of China. Unlike other teapots and pottery made in china, Yixing teapots are made from red stoneware rather than white porcelain. Because of this unique color they became known as "purple clay teaware" through China.They are also called purple sand teaware. Using techniques handed down since the early periods of Chinese history, beginning in the Ming period,these teapots are then hand built before firing.

Yixing teapots come in a wide variety of styles and have many different kinds of ornamentation and inscription. Over the years, different potters have added to the variety by producing their take on Yixing teapots. All yixing style teapots are unglazed, which means that most of them are solid red. Any colored ornamentation on the teapots is a result of using different colored clay as a kind of decoration. The majority of Yixing teapots are decorated and ornamented by shaping the clay through stamping, creating groves and other markings to form a pattern or by shaping the pots in a specific way to create a specific design.

Some of the most common designs on Yixing teapots found today included calligraphic messages, etched and stamped flowers, and shaping that is designed to make the teapots look like wood or bamboo. Of these, the calligraphic words and messages are the oldest and most common.

The most sought after and most valuable of the Yixing teapots are the oldest teapots, making some of these teapots among some of the most valuable in the world.

Many Yixing teapots feature simple etchings of Chinese characters. A typical example of a pot of this style would be a simple clay teapot, with no adoration or decorations except for a few words or phrases etched into the pot in Chinese. Because, all of this was done by hand, they are still very beautiful. The etchings were commonly done with a knife or similar instrument. Poems, sayings, and sometimes even the artist or owners signature are all common examples of things calligraphed on these pots.Most of these pots are very smooth and very simple, which reflects much of Chinese art and culture.


----------------------------------------------------
Karen Davis is an Yixing Teapot enthusiast and collected her first pot back in the 1980's. She is the founder of Brownstoneshopper, an online webstore that sells Yixing teapots. We have a variety of teapots showcased in our online gallery. If you enjoyed this article, visit us now online at http://www.brownstoneshopper.com/contact-us/ and sign up for your FREE Report!


EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=314165