Teapot 02 — 掇球式 Duoqiu-style (stacked spheres)

We acquired this collection from our old friend Zhang Tao, who personally purchased the teapots in Yixing and brought them to Canada in 2014. Their exact production dates are unknown; we believe they were probably made in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Every piece is unique, with its own individual character and surface variations.

• Capacity: 380 mL
• Price: C$150
• Collection: Yixing Ancient Dragon Kiln Zisha
• Broad rounded body with a taper towards the base
• Curved rising spout and circular loop handle
• High domed lid topped by a spherical finial
  
• Multi-hole internal filter and impressed seals

The shape

掇球式 Duoqiu-style — Stacked spheres
Probable shape family. The identification is our visual comparison with the cited references.

The rounded body, high domed lid and spherical finial repeat a three-part curved sequence. The Palace Museum defines 掇球 through that relationship. No. 2 is a plausible member of this family, although its tapering lower body means it is not a literal assembly of perfect spheres. 掇只 (Duozhi) is a related comparison, but the available photographs and overlapping modern terminology do not establish that narrower name. [CN1]

The story of the dragon kiln

In Dingshu Town (丁蜀镇), Yixing, Jiangsu, the Qianshu Ancient Dragon Kiln (前墅古龙窑) stretches up a hillside like a resting dragon. Dating to the Ming dynasty, its long firing chamber follows the slope: the incline encourages a natural draft, carrying heat upwards as fuel is fed through openings along the sides. It belongs to the landscape that nurtured Yixing’s purple-clay (紫砂) pottery culture.

The kiln is 43.4 metres long and was designated a nationally protected cultural site in 2006. Its history includes everyday pottery—basins, jars and other useful vessels—not only teapots. The local ceramic association calls it 活着的文物, a “living cultural relic.” Continued traditional firing preserves both the structure and the skills of the people who tend it. [K1] [K2]

In wood firing, the path of the flame, the atmosphere and deposits from the fuel can contribute to differences in colour and surface. These variations are part of the story supplied for this collection. A photograph alone cannot establish the exact firing conditions of an individual pot.

Sources and attribution

1. CN1. 故宫博物院：掇球壶 — Palace Museum, Duoqiu definition.
2. S1. Palace Museum, Beijing, “掇球壶” (Duoqiu teapot).
3. K1. Yixing Ceramic Industry Association, “前墅龙窑”.
4. K2. Yixing Municipal Government / Yixing Daily, “宜兴前墅龙窑获评‘国家工业遗产’,” 31 October 2025.