Teapot 04 — 三足筒式 Sanzu tongshi — Three-foot cylindrical 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 probably made in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Every piece is unique, with its own individual character and surface variations.

• Capacity: 210 mL
  
• Collection: Yixing Ancient Dragon Kiln Zisha.
• Upright, gently tapered cylindrical body
• Three rounded supporting feet
• Upward-angled spout and loop handle
• Low, slightly conical lid with an open-loop finial
  

The shape

三足筒式 Sanzu tongshi — Three-foot cylindrical form
Descriptive name; Qinquan comparison tentative. The identification is our visual comparison with the cited references.

The gently tapering upright body, open-loop finial and three feet produce a distinctive vessel. 秦权 (Qinquan, Qin weighing-weight) is worth comparing: the crafts-association description emphasises an upward-narrowing body and a bridge-like knob. This pot’s rounded belly and separate feet distinguish it from that basic profile. 三足筒式 therefore remains the principal catalog label; 三足秦权式 is only a tentative comparison, not a confirmed traditional 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. 浙江省工艺美术行业协会：谈旭君作品《秦权壶》 — crafts association, national master database.
2. S1. Hong Kong Museum of Art, K.S. Lo Collection of Tea Ware and Seals; C86.44, C81.401 and C88.33.
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.