The shape of Zisha teapot can be divided into sphere, square, natural, rib pattern, new shape wares. The round also can be divided into sphere, hemisphere, cylindrical, sphere variation, etc. And according to the size, it could be divided into big teapot, with huge capacity, such as Dongpo teapot with loop handle. They are mostly the soft handle, used for the farmer bring with to go farming. Some teahouse also used the big teapot. The sphere teapots were common, divided depend on the quality. The flat small teapots which always sphere and red clay made were used for kungfu tea in Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan areas. The cube wares were divided into square, six-sides, eight-sides, square variation,etc. The nature shape was called as "Huahuo" (flower things), the major character was imitating the shape of flower, grass, fruits, plants in the nature, the molding technique included kneading model and mould pattern, etc. during the pursuing the change of shape, made some shapes standardization, summarized and evolved into kinds of rib pattern ware. They were mostly sphere, a few had the cube rib pattern. Most of the new shape of teapot gave up the traditional function, they reacted the ceramics creation under the background of contemporary art, got big concerns with social developments.
The decoration of purple clay teapot even lots of categories, only the paste decoration, gloze decoration and compound decoration in summary mentions.
Mold making of Zisha teapot
Hie shape of purple clay teapots are different varieties of kinds of molds, in tradition, it has a wording of "no same square, no similar round". No matter the sphere, the square, the rib pattern or the flower things, the unique clay pieces molding, lots of machining tools, can make every detail standardization. If machining careful, it could always manufactured the definite contour outline and clear streak. If you make it by hand, unconfined and free, it also can produced the uncontemplated shape.
The traditional art of teapot based on the principle of pratical. In the process of extension of traditional art of teapot, use for reference, misappropriation, invention, creation, pursued the perfect work was the goal of every generation.
To create the art of Zisha teapot under the background of contemporary art, the practical was not the sole purpose any more. People can use the elements of teapot art to express, bring into play, pay attention on it, extend the new concepts. Traditional arts what we want to show, to deduce in-depth study of pot materials, it is not important on how the molding process was, no fixed way on molding methods, the change of ideology as thinking and emotional changes. Whether we will concern the occurrences and developments of material, fix the endings in form, these are title most important things. This kind of modelling is completely different molding compares to the traditional arts modelling.
Through the developments of five hundred years, after many efforts and absorbations of artists with reference to a lot of other categories of art, they created and produced the live great shape such as rounds square, natural, rib pattern, new shape wares.