Semisphere Yixing Teapots

Semisphere Yixing Teapots

It had appeared in the Neolithic Age, most were pottery alms bowls with convergent mouth, semisphere belly and round bottom.

The Hongzhou kilns in Northern Dynasty appeared the green glaze pots, the shape was semisphere quite contrary with the pottery alms bowls, flat bottom, similar to the ancient weighing apparatus, this kind of shape was what we called as semisphere.

The semisphere of purple clay teapots appeared in Late-Ming Dynasty.

* Teapot with loop handle, Ming Dynasty, Shi Dabin made, semisphere belly of teapot, short neck, smooth shoulder, wide mouth and pressed cover, the flow-mouth was curl, seemed like great force or imposing manner with the exaggerated circle loop handle. The button, mouth, loop handle were harmonious with the teapot body.

* Broad-rimmed hat shape of teapot, Jiaqing Period in Qing Dynasty, Yang Pengnian made and Chen Mansheng carved characters. The shape looked like the broad-rimmed hat which used in summer, it was stacked by a big and a small semispheres, simple and clean, manipulation of the flow-mouth and the handle was interesting.

* Half melon teapot, Jiaqing Period in Qing Dynasty, Yang Pengnian made and Chen Mansheng carved characters. The shape was semisphere, convex cover was hannonious with the pitch are of the teapot body. The button was bridge shape, a curl flow-mouth, simple without any bellyfats,

* Teapot with loop handle, Modem time, Han Meilin designed and made by Shi Xiaoma. The shape was semisphere, convex cover was harmonious with the pitch arc of the teapot body, the high loop handle is modem style, too difficult to modelling, the shapes of the flow-mouth and cover button are similar to birds with heads upward^ it is dynamic.

* Clock shape of teapot, Daoguang Period in Qing Dynasty, Shen Xi made and Zhu Shimei carved characters. This kind of shape could be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. First Emperor of Qin reunified China, promulgated the measurement according to the standard of Qin Dynasty. The teapot body should be swigging up of the semisphere, severed cover. the bridge shape of button, they saved the archetype of Qin style, short flow-mouth, circle handle made the total shape clean and simple without any bellyfats.

* Ancient musical instrument shape of teapot, Daoguang/Tongzhi Period in Qing Dynasty, Huo Zizhi made. The shape just looked like an ancient musical instrument which called as "zhong", a little outwards underbelly, convex cover was harmonious with the pitch arc of the teapot body. Bridge shape of button, curl flow-mouth and circle handle. The total feeling is an extension of semisphere shape.

* Seven pieces of throwing teapot, Modem time, Wu Guangrong made. The shape is similar to the ancient musical instrument shape of teapot, with a little variation.

* Han compressed teapot, Daoguang/Tongzhi Period in Qing Dynasty, Dabing carved characters. This kind of shape got lots of resemblances with the Hepan teapot, Hehuan teapot, the basic shape was upside-down semisphere, it would appear wide shoulder, semisphere underbelly. Short neck, convex cover, short flow-mouth, circle handle, to seek a change in the simple modelling.