Capacity: Approximately 65ml
Photos are of the actual teapot. There is only one teapot available.
This teapot is entirely handmade by the Yixing clay artist 范爱娟 Fan Aijuan. Ms. Fan was the apprentice of Master 蒋蓉 Jiang Rong, one of the "Seven Masters of Zisha." Ms. Fan has achieved the national artistic rank of "National Assistant Craft Artist."
范爱娟老师作品
国家级助理工艺美术师
花器师承蒋蓉老师
This pot is known as fully handmade as unlike most Yixing teapots that are half handmade the sculptor does not use a molding tool to shape the body, but instead shapes everything, including the body, by hand. Fully handmade teapots require more labor and more skill to construct, especially in the case of more complex shapes. Each one is entirely unique, reflecting the style of the artist, Fan Aijuan.
You can read more about fully handmade teapots in our blog entry here.
This is an yixing teapot made from zhuni 朱泥. As you can see from the photos, zhuni clay has a slight bumpy appearance. The clay will develop a shine from use. Zhuni clay is prized for its ability to bring out the best flavours. It is also the most difficult clay to fire as it is more likely to break during the process.
You can read more about zhuni clay in our blog entry here.
Preparation Before Use
Yixing Teapots should be prepared before using the first time. This is called "opening the pot". It removes the dust from firing the teapot.
We recommend rinsing the teapot under warm water two or three times, then filling the teapot with boiling water and emptying it out two to three times. After this the teapot is ready for use.