Rosie: Tea Ceramics

I. Jian Wares: from Fujian province, a tea cultivation area, Song dynasty, inspired wares used in Japanse style tea ceremony

II. Yixing wares: from Jingdezhen, west shore of lake Taihu, located near sites that mine Zisha, or the purplish clay used ot make lots of ceramics, most famous for teapots. Became super popular during the Ming dynasty because the silk industry was booming, lots of money for patronage. These wares are significant because they were not influenced by court tastes, allowed for a range of creative expression. Reintroduction of the yixing tradition, contemporary expressions of an ancient craft.

What makes a good teapot:

1. Material – porous clay (high content of aggregates like quartz or sand)

2. Form – different types of tea and different types of teapot. Powdered tea: Jian or bowls comfortable shape that fits in one’s hand, steeping: teapot, tightly fitting cover, good pouring spout

3. Aesthetics – Connoisseurship and texture. Ex. Jian ware glazes (hare’s fur, oil spot) or Yixing (sheen with age, shapes: natural, geometric, antique, calligraphy) and also who it was made for. Scholars considered the mass produced teapost for commercial trade as being less pure. Master, apprentice, factory