Teapot 07 — 仿古式 Fanggu-style — Drum-inspired 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: 165 mL
  
• Collection: Yixing Ancient Dragon Kiln Zisha
• Low, broad rounded body
• Short upward-curving spout and circular loop handle
• Wide shallow-domed lid with a raised rim and spherical finial
  

The shape

仿古式 Fanggu-style — Drum-inspired form
Probable shape family. The identification is our visual comparison with the cited references.

The broad, flattened belly, shallow cover and articulated rim make 仿古／仿鼓 the closest researched comparison. Wuxi Museum describes its Shao Daheng example as using flattened-round volumes for the body, lid and knob. This pot shares the broad horizontal emphasis, although its knob is rounder and the proportions differ. Fanggu-style is a useful catalog name; it does not attribute the pot to Shao Daheng or his workshop. [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]

Sources and attribution

1. CN1. 无锡博物院：大亨仿古壶 — Wuxi Museum, 5 January 2020.
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.