Teapot 12 — 掇球式 Duoqiu-style — Broad stacked-sphere form

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, but we believe they were most likely made in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Every piece is unique, with its own individual character and surface variations.

• Capacity: 250 mL 
  
• Collection: Yixing Ancient Dragon Kiln Zisha; origin and firing designation supplied with the collection.
• Generously rounded globular body with broad shoulders
• Short upward-angled spout and circular loop handle
• Prominent domed lid, spherical finial and raised double-rim detail
  
• Irregular darker markings near the handle

The shape

掇球式 Duoqiu-style — Broad stacked-sphere form
Probable shape family. The identification is our visual comparison with the cited references.

The body, domed lid and ball finial make a sequence of diminishing curved volumes. This follows the Palace Museum’s definition of 掇球. The broad shoulders and stepped rim distinguish this example from no. 13. Related names such as 莲子 (Lianzi) and 掇只 (Duozhi) appear in modern specialist usage, but no documentary evidence ties this piece to either narrower designation. [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.

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.