HORIZONTAL RED CLAY TEAPOT, Qing Dynasty（1616–1911CE）

This is a horizontal red-clay teapot made at the Yixing kiln during the Qing dynasty. Although the horizontal form was produced widely throughout the Qing, this example—an early piece—clearly preserves the archetypal profile. The body sits low, swelling gently from shoulder to base; the short, straight spout and the flatly finished lid bring the whole into a composed balance. The handle describes a simple arc, and the spare, undecorated shaping reflects Japanese aesthetic sensibilities.

The red clay contains a high iron content, which gives it a reddish-brown hue, and patches of ash-gray alteration from firing and subsequent use appear in places. These marks are traces of prolonged use by sencha practitioners and, together with the pronounced wear remaining inside and on the underside of the lid, lend the vessel a rustic depth.

Owing to its low center of gravity, the horizontal teapot is notably stable and offers excellent pouring performance, making it well suited to sencha and gongfu tea settings. The wear and patina visible on this example are not mere signs of age but layered histories cultivated together with tea—an appeal characteristic of an older red‑clay teapot.

In recent years in Japan the popularity of Chinese tea has risen, and a refined sensibility has become widespread; yet within that uniformity something of the unexpected is lost. Antique imported teapots are not always perfect in their pour or in the fit of their lids; rather, they possess a rugged, rustic charm. This teapot, bearing such imperfections, embodies the clay’s simplicity and the traces of time, and has matured alongside the changes of nature. Just as tea itself is part of nature, so too do vessels embrace change. We hope you will enjoy such an antique teapot in daily life.

In recent years in Japan the growing popularity of Chinese tea has fostered a uniformly refined sensibility, yet within that homogeneity something of its charm has been lost. Antique teapots are not faultless in their drainage or in the making of their lids; rather, they abound in rustic vigor. This teapot, bearing such imperfections, accepts the earth’s simplicity and the traces of time, and has matured alongside natural change. Just as tea itself is part of nature, so too does the vessel embrace transformation. We hope you will savor the tea and appreciate that passage of time.