Whether we consider our Yixing teapot as functional or a piece of art, we probably tend to look at each teapot as a whole, rather than as a carefully structured piece. The truth is that teapots are composed of features that integrate not only to make the teapot perform as it should, but also to communicate a sense of symmetry, wholeness, and aesthetic fluidity. Knowing the vocabulary of the teapot can help us to appreciate how the Yixing teapot is composed.
We can start at the top of the teapot and work our way around, more or less clockwise. The part of the lid that we use to open the teapot is usually called the button, and very often that is just what it looks like. On the other hand, the buttons of many Yixing teapots do not resemble buttons at all. Rather, they can be more ornamental, having been shaped by the Yixing artist as an animal or plant. An ornamental alternative button is the geometric shape. Whatever form the button takes, it ought to complement the teapot as a whole. Often the creators of Yixing teapots are quite whimsical and imaginative when they fashion buttons.
Typically, the lid of a teapot is purely functional, but the potters who work with Yixing’s unique zisha clay are apt to use the lid as an opportunity to be especially creative. For instance, the button of the pot may be a frog, and the lid would then appropriately take the form of a lily pad. The point where the lid fits snugly upon the pot itself is called the lip.
The sides of the Yixing teapot include two structures that we are probably most familiar with—the handle, the spout, and the mouth. If the Yixing teapot is a figural (assuming the form of an animal or plant), or if it is shaped more geometrically or abstractly, we can expect that the handle and the spout will conform to the rest of the figure. The relationship between the handle, spout, and the teapot as a whole should be aesthetically pleasing in the Yixing teapot. Inside the teapot, where the spout meets the rest of the pot, there is a perforated portion that sifts the tea from the tealeaves. This essential feature of the pot is the net. The side of the teapot also includes the buckle that point just above the handle where we put the thumb when pouring tea.
The belly of the teapot is the bulbous portion. It may be rounded or take a more angular shape. It may be decorated or not, depending on the effect that they Yixing artist wants to create. Just as the button and the lid should complement one another, the belly of the Yixing pot will blend with both. The belly of the pot, along with the lid, is a kind of canvas for the Yixing potter.
Familiarity with the vocabulary associated with the Yixing teapot gives us the language we need to describe its features. Just as important, though, the words associated with the elements of the teapot can actually call our attention to the teapot’s most beautiful features.
