Teapot 08 — 汉瓦式 Hanwa-style — Low bridge-finial 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: 220 mL
  
• Collection: Yixing Ancient Dragon Kiln Zisha
• Low rounded body with gently curved sides
• Broad, nearly flat lid
• Open arched bridge finial
• Curved side handle and upward-angled spout
  

The shape

汉瓦式 Hanwa-style — Low bridge-finial form
Probable shape family; moderate confidence. The identification is our visual comparison with the cited references.

The broad opening, almost flat cover, short rounded cylinder and arched bridge knob support a Hanwa comparison more strongly than the earlier generic description. The Chinese specialist article describes this combination directly. 井栏 (Jinglan, well-curb) is another cylindrical tradition documented by Nanjing Museum, but the bridge-finial and wide lid make Hanwa the more useful working label here.  [CN1] [CN2]

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.

Sources and attribution

1. CN1. 飞鸿紫砂平台：紫砂壶器型介绍——汉瓦壶 — specialist cultural/trade article, 31 August 2021.
2. CN2. 南京博物院：壶韵茗香秀江南——曼生壶回归故里精品展 — Nanjing Museum exhibition notice.
3. S1. British Museum, teapot, museum no. 2013,3007.365.
4. K1. Yixing Ceramic Industry Association, “前墅龙窑”.
5. K2. Yixing Municipal Government / Yixing Daily, “宜兴前墅龙窑获评‘国家工业遗产’,” 31 October 2025.