Teapot 13 — 掇球式 Duoqiu-style — High-domed variant

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: 165 mL 
• Collection: Yixing Ancient Dragon Kiln Zisha; origin and firing designation supplied with the collection.
• Rounded globular body with gently sloping shoulders
• Short upward-angled spout and circular loop handle
• Tall bell-like domed lid, spherical finial and pronounced double rim
  

The shape

掇球式 Duoqiu-style — High-domed variant

The high dome and spherical knob rise prominently above a rounded body, making the stacked-volume reading especially clear. The Palace Museum’s 掇球 definition is the strongest institutional reference for this structure. The stepped double rim and bell-like cover are individual variations. [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.